Men and manners in America

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V, I

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MEN AND MANNERS
IN AMERICA.

BY THE AUTHOR OF CYRIL THORNTON, ETC.

•*" ^ERICA. — Men and Manners in America by
, Capt. HamUton, 2 vols, post 8vo, half mlf,

1833
IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL, I.

*lJ%y i(rT%» K»} fioy iyyu.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD, EDINBURGH; AND

T. CADELL, STRAND, LONDON.

M.D.CCC. XXXIII.

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\^

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10

WILLIAM WOLRYCHE WHITMORE,
ESQUIRE, M.P.

Dear Whitmore,

I INSCRIBE these
volumes to you. As a politician, your course
has ever been straightforward and consistent,
and 1 know no one who brings to the dis-
charge of his public duties, a mind less biassed
by prejudice, or more philosophically solicit-
ous for the attainment of truth. Neither
mingling in the asperities of party conflict, nor
descending to those arts by which temporary
popularity is often purchased at the expense of

a

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II

permanent contempt, you have been wisely
content to rest your claims to the gratitude of
your country, on a zealous, enlightened, and
unobtrusive devotion to her best interests.

Had I been conscious, in what I have written
of the United States, of being influenced by any
motive incompatible with perfect fairness of
purpose, you are perhaps the last person to
whose judgment I should venture an appeal.
By no one will the arguments I have advanced
be more rigidly examined, and the grist of truth
more carefully winnowed from the chaff of
sophistry and declamation. For this reason,
and in testimony of sincere esteem, I now.pub-
licly connect your name with the present work.
You will at least find in it the conclusions of
m independent observer ; formed after much

4

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Ill

deliberation, and ofiered to the world with that
confidence in their justice, which becomes a
writer, who, through the medium of the press,
pretends to influence the opinions of others.

It was not till more than a year after my re-
turn, that I finally determined on publishing
the result of my observations in the United
States. Of books of, travels in America, there
seemed no deficiency ; and I was naturally un-
willing to incur, by the public expression of
my opinions, the certainty of giving offence to
a people, of whose hospitality I shall always
entertain a grateful recollection. I should there-
fore gladly have remained silent, and devoted
those hours which occasionally hang heavy on
the hands of an idle gentleman, to the produc-
tions of lighter literature, which, if not more

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IV

attractive to the reader, would certainly have
been more agreeable to the taste and habits of
the writer.

But when I found the institutions and ex-^
perience of the United States deliberately quo-
ted in the reformed Parliament, as affording
safe precedent for British legislation, and learn-
ed that the drivellers who uttered such nonsense,
instead of encountering merited derision, were
listened to with patience and approbation, by
men as ignorant as themselves, I certainly did
y feel that another work on America was yet
wanted, and at once determined to undertake
a task which inferior considerations would pro«-
bably have induced me to decline. >

How far, in writing of the institutions of a
foreign country, I may have been influenced

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by the prejudices natural to an Englishman, I
presume not to determine. To the impartial-
ity of a cosmopolite I make no pretension. No
man can wholly cast off the trammels of habit
and education, nor escape from the bias of that
multitude of minute and latent predilections,
which insensibly affects the judgment of the
wisest.

But apart from such necessary and acknow-
ledged influences, I am aware of no prejudice
which could lead me to form a perverted esti-
mate of the condition, moral or social, of the
AmericarUS. I visited their country with no an-
tipathies to be overcome ; and I doubt not you
can bear testimony that my political sentiments
were not such, as to make it probable that I
would regard with an unfavourable eye the

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VI

popular character of their government. In the
United States I was received with kindness,
and enjoyed an intercourse at once gratifying
and instructive, with many individuals for whom
I can never cease to cherish the warmest sen-
timents of esteem. I neither left England a
visionary and discontented enthusiast, nor did
I return to it a man of blighted prospects and
disappointed hopes. In the business or ambi-
tions of the world I had long ceased to have
any share. I was bound to no party, and
pledged to no opinions. I had visited many
countries, and may therefore be permitted to
claim the possession of such advantages as
foreign travel can bestow.

Under these circumstances, I leave it to the
ingenuity of others to discover by what probable

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VII

— what possible temptation, I could be induced
to write in a spirit of unjust depreciation of the
manners, morals, or institutions of a people so
intimately connected with England, bj the ties
of interest, and the affinities of common an-
cestry.

. It has been said by some one, that the
narrative of a traveller is necessarily a book
of inaccuracies. I admit the truth of the
apophthegm, and only claim the most favour-
able construction for his mistakes. The range
of a traveller's observations must generally be
limited to those peculiarities which float, as it
were, on the surface of society. Of the " sunken
treasuries" beneath, he cannot speak. His
sources of information are always fallible, and
at best he can appeal only to the results of an

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VIII

imperfect experience. A great deal which ne-
cessarily enters into his narrative, must be
derived from the testimony of others. In the
common intercourse of society, men do not
select their words with that scrupulous preci-
sion which they use in a witness-box. Details
are loosely given and inaccurately remembered.
Events are coloured or distorted by the parti-
alities of the narrator ; minute circumstances
are omitted or brought into undue prominence,
and the vast and varied machinery by which
truth is manufactured into fallacy is continually
at work.

From the errors which I fear must still con-
stitute the badge of all our tribe, I pretend to
no exemption. But whatever be the amount of
its imperfections, the present work is offered to

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IX

the world without excuse of any sort, for I
confess my observations have led to the con-
clusion, that a book requiring apology is rarely
worth it.

Ever, Dear Whitmore,

Very truly yours,

T. H.

RyDAh,^SthJuijf, 1883.

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CONTENTS
OF VOLUME FIRST.

Page.

Chap. I — Voyage — New York 1

II — New York 2.3

III — New York — Hudson River . . . . 59

IV.— New York 85

V — New York 102

VI. — Voyage — Proyidenoe— Boston . . . 134

VII. — Boston 191

VIII — New England 286

IX. — New York ...... . 274

X. — Philadelphia ...... 333

XL— Philadelphia . . . . . . 377

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MEN AND MANNERS
IN AMERICA.

CHAPTER L

VOYAGE — NEW YORK.

On the morning of the 1 6th of October, I embarked
at Liverpool, on board of the American packet ship,
New York, Captain Bennet, bound for the port of
the same name. There were twenty-six passengers
on board, and though the accommodations were ex-
cellent, the cabin, as might be expected, was some*
what disagreeably crowded. Our party consisted of
about fifteen or sixteen Americans, some half-dozen
countrymen of my own, two or three English, a
Swiss, and a Frenchman.

°9

VOL. I.

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2 ]V|IS£RI£S OF A VOYAGE.

ThoDgh the elements of this assemblage were he-
terogeneous enough, I have great pleasure in remem-
bering that the most perfect harmony prevailed on
board. To myself, the whole of my fellow-passen-
gers were most obliging ; and for some I contracted
a regard, which led me to regret that the period of
our arrival in port, was likely to bring with it a last-
ing cessation of our intercourse.

The miseries of a landsman on board of ship, have
afforded frequent matter for pen and pencil. At
hestj a sea voyage is a confinement at once irksome
and odious, in which the unfortunate prisoner is
compelled for weeks, or months, to breathe the taint-
ed atmosphere of a close and crowded cabin, and to
sleep at night in a sort of box, about the size of
a coffin for ^^ the stout gentleman." At tuorst^ it
involves a complication of the most nauseous evils
that can afflict humanity, — an utter prostration of
power, both bodily and mental, — a revulsion of the
whole corporeal machinery, accompanied by a host
of detestable diagnostics, which at once convert a
well-dressed and well-favoured gentleman, into an

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ACCOMMODATIONS ON BOARD. 3

object of contempt to himself, and disgust to those
around him.

Such are a few of the joys that await a landsman,
whom evil stars have led to " go down to the sea in
ships» and occupy his business in the great waters.''
With r^ard to sailors, the case is different, but not
much. Being seasoned vessels, they are, no doubt,
exempt from some of those evils, and completely
hardened to others, which are most revolting to a
landsman. But their Pandora's box can afford to
lose a few miseries, and still retain a sufficient stock
of all sizes, for any reasonable supply. It may be
doubted, too, whether the most ardent sailor was
ever so hallucinated by professional enthusiasm, as
to pitch his Paradise — ^wherever he might place his
Purgatory — afloat.

On board of the New York, however, I must say,
that our sufferings were exclusively those arising
from the elements of air and water. Her accom-
modations were admirable. Nothing had been ne-
glected which could possibly contribute to the com-
fort of the passengers. In another respect, too, we
were fortunate. Our commander had nothing about

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4 THE PASSENGERS.

him, of " the rude and boisterous captain of the sea."
In truth, Captain Bennet was not only an adept in all
professional accomplishment, but, in other respects,
a person of extensive information ; and I confess, it
was even with some drgree of pride, that I learned
he had received his nautical education in the Bri-
tish navy. Partaking of the strong sense we all
entertained, of his unvarying solicitude for the com-
fort of his passengers, I am happy also to profess
myself indebted to him, for much valuable informa-
tion relative to the country I was about to visit.

Among the pasE^engers were some whose eccentri-
cities contributed materially to enliven the mono-
tony of the voyage. The most prominent of these
was a retired hair-dresser from Birmingham, inno-
cent of all knowledge unconnected with the wig-
llock, wlo, having recently married a young wife,
was proceeding, accompanied by his fair rib, with
the romantic intention of establishing themselves in
" some pretty box," in the back- woods of America*
As for the lady, she was good-looking, but, being
somewhat gratuitously solicitous to barb the arrows
of her charms, her chief occupation during tbe voy-

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MASTER BURKE. 5

age, consisted in adorning her countenance with such
variety of wigs of different colours, as unquestion-
ably did excite the marvel, if not the admiration, of
the passengers. The billing and cooing of this in-
teresting couple, however, though sanctioned by the
laws of Hymen, became at length so public and ob-
trusive, as, in the opinion of the other ladies, to de-
mand repression ; and a request was consequently
made, that they would be so obliging for the future,
as to reserve their mutual demonstrations of attach-
ment, for the privacy of their own cabin.

Among the passengers too, was Master Burke,
better known by the title of the Irish Roscius, who
was about to cross the Atlantic with his father and
a French music-master, to display his talents on a
new field. Though not much given to admire those
youthful prodigies, who, for a season or two, are
puffed into notice, and then quietly lapse into very
ordinary men, I think there can be no question
that young Burke is a very wonderful boy. Barely
eleven years old, he was already an accomplished
and scientific musician, played the violin with first-
rate taste and execution, and in his impersonations

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6 PROGRESS OF THE VOYAGE.

of character, displayed a versatility of power, and a
perception of the deeper springs of human action,
almost incredible in one so young. But independ-
ently of all this, he became, by his amiable and
obliging disposition, an universal favourite on board ;
and when the conclusion of our voyage brought
with it a general separation, I am certain the boy
carried with him the best wishes of us all, that he
might escape injury or contamination in that peri*
lous profession, to which his talents had been thus
early devoted.

We sailed from Liverpool about one o'clock, and
in little more than an hour, were clear of the Mersey.
On the morning following we were opposite the Tus-
kar rocks, and a run of two days brought us fairly
out into the Atlantic. Then bidding farewell to the
bold headlands of the Irish coast, with a flowing
sheet we plunged forward into the vast wilderness
of waters, which lay foaming before us, and around.

For the first week, all the chances were in our
favour. The wind, though generally light, was fair,
and the New York — celebrated as a fast sailer — with
all canvass set, ran down the distance gallantly.

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ARRIVAL OFF SANDY HOOK. 7

But, on the seventh day, our good fortune was at an
end« The wind came on boisterous and adverse, and
our progress for the next fortnight was compara-
tively small. Many of the party became affected
with sea-sickness, and the hopes, to which our early
good fortune had given rise, of a rapid passage, were
— as other dearer hopes have been by us all, — slowly,
but unwillingly, relinquished.

We were yet some five hundred miles to thd east-
ward of the banks of Newfoundland, when, on the
23d day, our spirits were again gladdened by a fair
wind. Then it was that the New York gave unques-
tionable proof that her high character was not un-
merited. In the six following days we ran down
fifteen hundred miles, and the evening of the twenty-
eighth day, found us off Sandy Hook, which forms
the entrance to the Bay of New York.

Our misfortunes, however, were not yet at an end.
When within a few hours' sail of port, our progress
was arrested for four days, by a dense fog. Four
more disagreeable days, I never passed. Sun, moon,
stars, earth, and ocean, lay hid in impenetrable va-
pour, and it was only by the constant use of the

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8 VISITED FROM THE SHORE.

lead, that the ship could move in safety. The air we
breathed seemed changed into a heavier element;
we felt like men suddenly smitten with blindness,
and it almost seemed, as if the time of chaos had
come again, when darkness lay brooding on the
face of the deep. The effect of this weather on the
spirits of us all, was very remarkable. Even the
most jovial of the party became gloomy and morose.
Conversation languished, and the mutual benevo-
lence with which we had hitherto regarded each
other, had evidently sustained a diminution.

At length, when our patience, hourly sinking, had
nearly reached zero, a favourable change took place.
About noon on the 17th of November, the mist sud-
denly rolled upward like a curtain, and with joyful
eyes we beheld the coast of New Jersey outstretched
before us. Towards evening, we received a pilot,
and were visited by several boats employed by the
proprietors of the New Y5rk newspapers, to procure
the earliest intelligence from vessels in the offing.
The avidity for news of all kinds, displayed both by
these visitors and the American passengers, was
rather amusing.

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ENTER THE BAY OF NEW YORK. 9

Numerous questions were interchanged, relative
to polities and dry goods, shipping and shippers,
freights and failures, corn, cotton, constitutions, and
commissions. Though in this sort of traffic, as in
all others, there was value given on both sides, yet
it struck me, that a sincere desire to oblige was
generally apparent. Every one seemed happy to
enter on the most prolix details for the benefit of
his neighbour; and the frequent repetition of the
same question, appeared by no means to be attended
with the usual consequences on the patience of the
person addressed. I certainly could detect nothing
of that dogged, and almost sullen brevity, with
which, I take it, the communications of English-
men, in similar circumstances, would have been
marked. No one seemed to grudge the trouble ne-
cessary to convey a complete comprehension of facts
or opinions to the mind of his neighbour, nor to
circumscribe his communications, within the limits
necessary to secure the gratification of his own
curiosity.

We passed Sandy Hook in the night, and, on
coming on deck in the morning, were greeted with

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10 DESCRIPTION OF THE SCENERY.

one of the most beautiful prospects I bad ever be-
held. We were tben passing the Narrows; Long
Island on one side, Staten Island on the other, a
finely undulating country, hills covered with wood,
agreeably interspersed with villas and cottages, and
New York on its island, with its vast forest of ship-
ping, looming in the distance.

Such are some of the more prominent features of
the scene, by which our eyes were first gladdened,
on entering the American waters. A more glorious
morning never shone from the heavens. All around
was bathed in a flood of sunshine, which seemed
brighter when contrasted with the weather under
which we had so recently suffered.

I am not aware, that there is any thing very fine
in the appearance of New York, when seen from the
bay, but, taken in conjunction with the surrounding
scenery, it certainly forms a pleasing feature in the
landscape. The city stands on the southern extre-
mity of York Island, and enlarging in latitude as it
recedes from the apex of a triangle, stretches along
the shores of the Hudson and East Rivers, far as
the eye can reach. On the right are the heights of

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DESCRIPTION OP THE 8CENEUY. 11

BrooklyD, which form part of Long Island; and
across the broad waters of the Hudson, the view is
terminated on the left by the wooded shore of New
Jersey.

But whatever may be the pictorial defects or
beauties of New York, it is almost impossible to con-
ceive a city, better situated for commerce. At no
season of the year, can there be any obstruction in its
communication with the ocean ; and with a fine and
navigable river, stretching for nearly two hundred
miles into the interior of a fertile country, it pos-
sesses natural advantages of no common order. In
extent of trade and population, I believe New York
already exceeds every other city of the Union ;
and unquestionably it is yet very far from having
gathered all its greatness.

The scene, as we approached the quay, became
gradually more animated. Numerous steam-vessels,
and boats of all descriptions, were traversing the
harbour ; and the creaking of machinery, and the
loud voices which occasionally reached us from the
shore, gave evidence of activity and bustle. About
twelve o'clock the ship reached her mooring, and in

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J 2 LANDING AT NEW YORK.

half an hour I was safely hoased in Bunker's Hotel,
where I had been strongly recommended to take up
my residence. A young American accompanied me
to the house, and introduced me to the landlord,
who, after some miscellaneous conversation, produ-
ced a hook, in which I was directed to enrol my
name, country, and vocation. This formality being
complied with, a black waiter was directed to con-
vey such of my baggage as I had been permitted to
bring ashore, to an apartment, and I found myself
at liberty to ramble forth, and gratify my curiosity
by a view of the town.

In visiting a foreign city, a traveller — especially
an Englbh one — usually expects to find, in the aspect
of the place and its inhabitants, some tincture of the
barbaric. There is something of this, though not a
great deal, at New York. The appearance of the
population, though not English, is undoubtedly
nearer to it than that of any city on the continent
of Europe ; and but for the number of blacks and
people of colour, one encounters in the streets, there
is certainly little to remind a traveller that the
breadth of an ocean divides him from Great Britain.

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF NEW YORK. 13

The fashions of dress generally adopted by the weal-
thier classes are those of Paris and London ; and the
tastes and habits of the people, so far as these appear
on the surface, bear a strong resemblance to those
of his countrymen. Minute differences, however,
are no doubt apparent at the first glance. The aspect
and bearing of the citizens of New York, are cer-
tainly very distinguishable from any thing ever seen
in Great Britain. They are generally slender in
person, somewhat slouching in gait, and without v
that openness of countenance and erectness of de-
portment to which an English eye has been accus-
tomed. Their utterance, too, is marked by a pecu-
liar modulation, partaking of a snivel and a drawl, >
which, I confess, to my ear, is by no means laudable
on the score of euphony.

Observations of a similar character, are as appli-
cable to the city, as to its inhabitants. The frequent
intermixture of houses of brick and framework, was
certainly unlike any thing I had ever seen in Eu-
rope; and the New-Yorkers have inherited from
their Dutch ancestors the fashion of painting their

houses of a bright colour, which produces an agree-

6

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14 APPEARANCE OF THE STREETS.

able effect, and gives to the streets an air of
gaiety and lightness which could not otherwise
have been attained. The prominent defect of the
city^ is a want of consistency and compactness,
in the structure even of the better streets. There
are some excellent houses in them all, but these
frequently occur in alternation with mere hovels,
^ and collections of rubbish, which detract materially
from the general effect. But the general aspect of
New York is unquestionably pleasing. It is full,
even to overflow, of business and bustle, and crowded
with a population devoting their whole energies, to
the arts of money-getting. Such were the first im-
pressions I received in New York.

Having gratified my curiosity with a cursory vie w
of the chief streets, my obliging companion conducted
me to the Custom-house, in order to procure a permit
for landing my baggage. On arriving there, I was
rather surprised to find, that the routine observed, in
such matters in this republican country, is in fact
more vexatious, than in England. In New York, you
are first required to swear that the specification
given of the contents of your boxes is true; and

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THE CUSTOM-HOUSE. 15

then, as if no reliance were due to your oath, the
officers proceed to a complete search. To the search,
however troublesome, unquestionably no objection
can be made ; but it does appear to be little better
than an insulting mockery, to require an oath to
which all credit is so evidently denied. The proverb
says, that " at lovers* vows Jove laughs ;" and if, in
America, the deity is supposed to extend his merri-
ment to Custom-house oaths, it surely would be
better to abolish a practice, which, to say nothing of
the demoralizing influence it cannot fail to exert^ is
found to have no efficacy in the prevention of fraud.
Certainly in no country of Europe is it usual to
require an oath, in cases where it is not received as
sufficient evidence of the fact deposed to ; and why
the practice should be different, under a government
so popular as that of the United States, it would be
difficult to determine.

Custom-house regulations, however, are matters
on which most travellers are given to be censorious.
In truth, I know nothing so trying to the equa-
nimity of the mildest temper, as the unpleasant cere- •
mony of having one's baggage rummaged over by

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16 CUSTOM-HOUSE OFFICER.

the rude fists of a revenue- officer. It is in vain
reason tells us, that this impertinent poking into
our portmanteaus is just and proper; that the pri-
vilege is reciprocal between nations, each of which
necessarily enjoys the right, of excluding altogether
articles of foreign manufacture, or of attaching such
conditions to their importation, as it may see fit.
All this is very true, but the sense of personal indig-
nity cannot be got over. There is nothing of national
solemnity at all apparent in the operation. The in-
vestigator of our property is undistinguished by any
outward symbol of executive authority. It requires
too great an effort of imagination, to regard a dirty
Custom-house searcher, as a visible impersonation of
the majesty of the law ; and in spite of ten thousand
unanswerable reasons to the contrary, we cannot
help considering his rigid examination of our cloak-
bag and shaving-case, rather as an act of individual
audacity, than the necessary and perfunctory dis-
charge of professional duty. In short, the searcher
and searchee stand to each other in the relation ot plus
and mintis, and the latter has nothing for it, but to
put his pride in his pocket, and keep down his choler

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SINGULARITY OF SIGNS. 17

as best he can, with the complete knowledge that,
being pro tern, in the hands of the Philistines, the
smallest display of either could only tend to make
things worse. It is always my rule, therefore, when
possible, to avoid being present at the scene at all ;
and having, on the present occasion, given directions
to my servant, to await the business of inspection,
and afterwards to convey the baggage to the hotel,
I again committed myself t^ the guidance of some
of my American friends, and commenced another
ramble through the city.

As we passed, many of the signs exhibited by the
different shops struck me as singular. Of these,
" Dry Good Store," words of which I confess I did
not understand the precise import, was certainly the
most prevalent. My companions informed me that
the term dry goods is not, as might be supposed,
generally applicable to merchandise devoid of mois-
ture, but solely to articles composed of linen, silk, or
woollen. " Coffin Warehouse," however, was suf-
ficiently explanatory of the nature of the commerce
carried on within; but had it been otherwise, the
sight of some scores of these dismal commodities,

VOL I. B

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18 REMARKABLE PLACARD.

arranged in sizes, and ready for immediate use,
would have been comment enough. << Flour and
Feed Store," and " Oyster Refectory," were
more grateful to the eye and the imagination.
** Hollow Ware, Spiders, and Fire Dogs," seem-
ed to indicate some novel and anomalous traffic, and
carried with it a certain dim and mystical sublimity,
of which I shall not venture to divest it, by any
attempt at explanation.

I was amused, too, with some of the placards which
appeared on the walls. Many of these were politi-
cal, and one in particular was so unintelligible, as to
impose the task of a somewhat prolix commentary
on my friends. It ran thus, in sesquipedalian cha-
racters,

JACKSON FOR EVER.
GO THE WHOLE HOG !

When the sphere of my intelligence became
enlarged with regard to this affiche, I learned, that
" going the whole hog" is the American popular
phrase for Radical Reform, and is used by the De-
mocratic party to distinguish them from the Federal-
ists, who are supposed to prefer less sweeping mea-

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NIBLO'S TAVERN, 19

8ures, and conseqaently to go only a part of the inte-
resting quadruped in question. The Go-the whole--
hoggersy therefore, are politicians determined to fol-
io iv out Democratic principles to their utmost extent,
and with this party, General Jackson is at present an
especial favourite. The expression, I am told, is of
Virginian origin. In that State, when a butcher
kills a pig, it is usual to demand of each customer,
whether he will " go the whole hog ;" as, by such
extensive traffic, a purchaser may supply his table
at a lower. price, than is demanded of him, whose
imagination revels among prime pieces^ to the exclu-
sion of baser matter.

Before quitting the ship, it had been arranged
among a considerable number of the passengers,
that we should dine together on the day of our arri-
val, as a proof of parting in kindness and good-fel-
lowship. Niblo's tavern, the most celebrated eat^
ing-house in New York, was the scene chosen for
this amicable celebration. Though a little tired with
my walks of the morning, which the long previous
confinement on board of ship had rendered more
than usually fatiguing, I determined to explore my

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20 CIVIUTY OF A GROCER.

way on foot, and hairiDg procared the necessary
directions at the hotel, again set forth. On my way,
an incident occurred, which I merely mention to
show how easily travellers like myself, on their first
arrival in a country, may be led into a misconcep-
tion of the character of the people. Having pro^
ceeded some distance, I found it necessary to enquire
my way, and accordingly entered a small grocer's
shop. ^' Pray, sir,'' I said, ^^ can you point out to me
the way to Niblo's tavern ?" The person thus ad-
dressed was rather a gruff-looking man, in a scratch-
wig, and for at least half a minute kept eyeing me
from top to toe without uttering a syllable. ^' Yes,
sir, I can," he at length replied, with a stare as
broad as if he had taken me for the ^eat Katterfel-
to. Considering this sort of treatment, as the mere
ebullition of republican insolence, I was in the act
of turning on my heel and quitting the shop, when
the man added, ^^ and I shall have great pleasure in
showing it you." He then crossed the counter, and
accompanying me to the middle of the street, pointed
out the land-marks by which I was to steer, and
gave the most minute directions for my guidance.

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DINN£R AT NIBLO's. 21

I presame that his cariosity in the first instance
was excited by something foreign in my appear-
ance ; and that, having once satisfied himself that I
was a stranger, he became on that account more
than ordinarily anxious to oblige. This incident
a£Forded me the first practical insight into the man-
ners of the people, and was useful both as a prece-
dent for future guidance, and as explaining the
source of many of the errors of former travellers.
Had my impulse to quit the shop been executed
with greater rapidity, I should certainly have consi-
dered this man as a brutal barbarian, and perhaps
have drawn an unfair inference with regard to the
manners and character, of the lower orders of society
in the United States.

The dinner at Niblo's, — which may be considered
the London Tavern of New York, — was certainly
more excellent in point of materiel, than of cookery
or arrangement. It consisted of oyster soup, shad,
venison,* partridges, grouse, wild-ducks of diffe-

* In regard to game, I adopt the nomenclature in common use in the
United States. It may be as well to state, However, that neither the
partridges nor the grouse bear any very close resemblance to the birds of
the same name in Europe. Their flesh is dry, and comparatively with-
out flavour.

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22 DINNER AT NIBLo's.

rent varieties, and sctveral other dishes less notable.
There was no attempt to serve this chaotic entertain-
ment in courses, a fashion, indeed, but little prevalent
in the United States. Soup, fish, flesh and fowl,
simultaneously garnished the table ; and the conse-
quence was, that the greater part of the dishes were
cold, before the guests were prepared to attack them.
The venison was good, though certainly very inferior
to that of the fallow-deer. The wines were excellent,
the company agreeable in all respects, and altogether
I do not remember to have passed a more pleasant
evening, than that of my first arrival at New York.

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BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL. 23

CHAPTER 11.

NEW YORK.

I HAD nearly completed my toilet on the morn-
ing after my arrival, when the tinkling of a large
bell gave intimation, that the hour of breakfast was
come. I accordingly descended as speedily as pos-
sible to the salle d manger^ and found a consider-
able party engaged in doing justice to a meal, which,
at first glance, one would scarcely have guessed to be
a breakfast. Solid viands of all descriptions loaded
the table, while, in the occasional intervals, were
distributed dishes of rolls, toast, and cakes of buck-
wheat and Indian corn. At the head of the table, sat
the landlady, who, with an air of complacent dig-
nity, was busied in the distribution of tea and coffee.
A large bevy of negroes were bustling about, mini-
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24 BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL.

Btering with al] possible alacrity, to the many wants
which were somewhat vociferously obtruded on their
attention. Towards the upper end of the table, I
observed about a dozen ladies, but by far the larger
portion of the company were of the other sex.

The contrast of the whole scene, with that of an
English breakfast-table, was striking enough. Here
was no loitering nor lounging; no dipping into
newspapers ; no apparent lassitude of appetite ; no
intervals of repose in mastication ; but all was hurry,
bustle, clamour, and voracity, and the business of
repletion went forward, with a rapidity altogether
unexampled. The strenuous efforts of the company
were of course, soon rewarded with success. Depar-
tures, which had begun even before I took my place
at the table, became every instant more numerous,
and in a few minutes the apartment had become,
what Moore beautifully describes in one of his songs,
^^ a banquet-hall deserted." The appearance of the
table under such circumstances, was by no means
gracious either to the eye or the fancy. It was
strewed thickly with the disfecta membra of the enter-
tainment. Here, lay fragments of fish, somewhat

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LETTERS OF INTRODUCTIOK. 25

unpleasantly odoriferous ; there, the skeleton of a
chicken ; on the right, a mustard-pot upset, and the
cloth, passim^ defiled with stains of eggs, coffee, gravy
— ^but I will not go on with the picture* One nasty
custom, however, I must notice. Eggs, instead of
being eat from the shell, are poured into a wine*
glass, and after being duly and disgustingly churned
up with butter and condiment, the mixture, accord-
ing to its degree of fluidity, is forthwith either
spooned into the mouth, or drunk~off like a liquid.
The advantage gained by this unpleasant process, I
do not profess to be qualified to appreciate, but I can
speak from experience, to its sedative effect on the
appetite of an unpractised beholder.

My next occupation was to look over my letters of
introduction. Of these I found above thirty address-
ed to New York, and being by no means anxious to
become involved in so wide a vortex of acquaintance,
I requested one of my American fellow-passengers
to select such, as, from his local knowledge, he ima-
gined might prove of more immediate service to a
traveller like myself. In consequence of this ar-
rangement, about half the letters with which the

VOL. I. c n ]

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26 IMPRESSION MADE BY AMERICANS.

kindness of my friends had furnished me, were di&«
carded, and I can truly say, that the very warm
and obliging reception I experienced from those to
whom I forwarded introductions, left me no room,
to regret the voluntary limitation of their number.

Having despatched my letters, and the morning
being wet, I remained at home, busied in throwing
together a few memoranda of such matters, as ap-
peared worthy of record. My labours, however,
were soon interrupted. Several gentlemen who had
heard of my arrival through the medium of my
fellow-passengers, but on whose civility I had no
claim, did me the honour to call, tendering a wel-
come to their city, and the still more obliging o£Fer
of their services. My letters, too, did not fail of pro-
curing me a plentiful influx of visitors. Numerous
invitations followed, and by the extreme kindness of
my new friends, free admission was at once afforded
me to the best society in New York.

The first impression made by an acquaintance
with the better educated order of American gentle*
men, is certainly very pleasing. There is a sort of
republican plainness and simplicity in their address^

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AMERICAN GENTLEMEN. 2T

quite in harmony with tho institutions of their
country. An American bows less than an English-
man ; he deals less in mere conventional forms and
expressions of civility ; he pays few or no compli-
ments ; makes no unmeaning or overstrained profes-
sions ; but he takes you by the hand with a cordia-
lity which at once intimates, that he is disposed to
regard you as a friend. Of that higher grace of
manner, inseparable perhaps from the artificial dis-
tinctions of European society, and of which even
those most conscious of its hoUowness, cannot
always resist the attraction, few specimens are of
course to be found, in a country like the United
States; but of this I am sure, that such a reception
as I have experienced in New York, is far more
gratifying to a stranger, than the farce of ceremony,
however gracefully it may be performed.

Perhaps I was the more flattered by the kindness
of my reception, from having formed anticipations
of a less pleasing character. The Americans I had
met in Europe had generally been distinguished by
a certain reserve, and something even approaching
to the offensive in manner, which had not contri-

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28 AMERICANS IN EUROPE.

buted to create a prepossession in their favour. It
seemed, as if each individual were impressed with
the conviction that the whole dignity of his country
was concentered in his person ; and I imagined them
too much given to disturb the placid current of social
intercourse, by the obtrusion of national jealousiesi
and the cravings of a restless and inordinate vanity.
It is indeed highly probable, that these unpleasant
peculiarities were called into more frequent display,
by that air of haughty repulsion, in which too
many of my countrymen have the bad taste to
indulge; but even from what I have already seen, I
feel sure that an American at home, is a very differ-
ent person from an American abroad. With his foot
on his native soil, he appears in his true character ;
he moves in the sphere, for which his habits and
education have peculiarly adapted him, and sur-
rounded by his fellow-citizens, he at once gets rid of
the embarrassing conviction, that he is regarded as
an individual impersonation of the whole honour of
the Union. In England, he is generally anxious to
demonstrate by indifference of manner, that he is
not dazzled by the splendour which surrounds him.

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AMERICANS IN EUROPE. 29

and too solicitously forward in denying the validity
of all pretensions, which he fears the world may
consider as superior to his own. But in his own
country, he stands confessedly on a footing with the
highest. His national vanity remains unruffled by
opposition or vexatious comparison, and his life passes
on in a dreamy and complacent contemplation of the
high part, which, in her growing greatness, the
United States is soon to assume, in the mighty drama
of the world. His imagination is no longer troubled
with visions of lords and palaces, and footmen in
embroidery and cocked hats; or if he think of these
things at all, it is in a spirit far more philosophical,
than that with which he once regarded them. Con-
nected with England by commercial relations, by
community of literature^ and a thousand ties, which
it will still require centuries to obliterate, he cannot
regard her destinies without deep interest. In the
contests in which, by the calls of honour, or by the
folly of her rulers, she may be engaged, the reason of
an American may be against England, but his heart
is always with her. He is ever ready to extend to
her sons, the rites of kindness and hospitality, and is

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80 PUBLIC BUILDINGS OF NEW YORK.

more flattered by their praise, and more keenly sen-
sitive to their censure, than is perhaps quite consist-
ent with a just estimate, of the true value of either*
I remember no city which has less to show in the
way of Liom than New York. The whole interest
attaching to it, consists in the general appearance of
the place ; in the extreme activity and bustle which
is everywhere apparent, and in the rapid advances
which it has made, and is still making, in opulence
and population. In an architectural view. New
York has absolutely nothing to arrest the attention.
The only building of pretension is the State-House,
or City-Hall, in which the courts of law hold their
sittings. In form, it is an oblong parallelogram,
two stories in height, exclusive of the basement,
with an Ionic portico of white marble, which instead
of a pediment, is unfortunately surmounted by a
balcony. Above is a kind of lantern or pepper-box,
which the taste of the architect has led him to sub-
stitute for a dome. From the want of simplicity, the
efiect of the whole is poor, and certainly not impro-
ved by the vicinity of a very ugly gaol, which might

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THE EXCHANGE. 31

be adrantageously removed to some less obtrusive
sitaation.

The Exchange is a petty afiair, and unworthy of
a community so large aud opulent as that of New
York. With regard to churches, those frequented
by the wealthier classes are built of stone, but the
great majority are of timber. Their architecture in
general is anomalous enough ; and the wooden spires,
terminating in gorgeous weathercocks, are as gay as
the lavish employment of the painter's brush can
make them.

But the chief attraction of New York is the Broad-
way, which runs through the whole extent of the
city, and forms as it were the central line from
which the other streets diverge to the quays on the
Hudson and East River. It is certainly a hand-
some street, and the complete absence of regularity
in the buildings, — which are of all sizes and materials,
from the wooden cottage of one story, to the mas-
sive brick edifice of five or six, — gives to Broadway
a certain picturesque efiect, incompatible, perhaps,
with greater regularity of architecture. The sides
are skirted by a row of stunted and miserable-look-

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32 BROADWAY.

ing poplars, useless either for shade or ornament,
which breaks the unity of the street without com-
pensation of any sort. The shops in Broadway are
the depots of all the fashionable merchandise of the
city, but somewhat deficient in external attractions,
to eyes accustomed to the splendour of display in
Regent Street, or Oxford Road. About two o'clock,
however, the scene in Broadway becomes one of
pleasing bustle and animation. The trottoirs are
then crowded with gaily dressed ladies, and that
portion of the younger population, whom the absence
of more serious employment enables to appear in the
character of beaux. The latter, however, is small.
From the general air and appearance of the people,
it is quite easy to gather, that trade in some of its
various branches, is the engrossing object of every
one, from the youth of fifteen to the veteran of four*
score, who, from force of habit, still lags superfluous
on the Exchange. There are no morning loungers
in New York; and the ladies generally walk unat«
tended; but in the evening, I am told, it is different,
and the business of gallantry goes on quite as hope-
fully, as on our side of the water.

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LADIES OF NEW YORK. 33

I have observed many countenances remarkable
for beauty, among the more youthful portion of the
fair promenaders. But unfortunately beauty in this
climate is not durable/ Like ^^ the ghosts of Ban-
quo's fated line,'' it comes like a shadow, and so de-
parts. At one or two-and- twenty the bloom of an
American lady is gone, and the more substantial
materials of beauty follow soon after. At thirty the
whole fabric is in decay, and nothing remains but
the tradition of former conquests, and anticipations
of the period, when her reign of triumph will be
vicariously restored in the person of her daughter.

The fashions of Paris reach even to New York,
and the fame of Madame Maradan Carson has
already transcended the limits of the Old World, and
is diffused over the New. I pretend to be something
of a judge in such matters, and therefore pronounce
ex cathedrd^ that the ladies of New York are well
dressed, and far from inelegant. The average of
height is certainly lower than among my fair coun-
trywomen; the cheek is without colour, and the
figure sadly deficient in en-bon-point. But with all
these disadvantages, I do not remember to have

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S4 LADIES OF NEW YORK.

seen more beauty than I bave met in New York.
Tbe features are generally finely moulded, and not
unfrequently display a certain delightful harmony,
which reminds one of the Belle Donne of St Peter's
and the Pincian Mount* The mouth alone is not
beautiful; it rarely possesses the charm of fine teeth,
and the lips want colour and fulness. The carriage
of these fair Americans is neither French nor
English, for they have the good sense to adopt the
peculiarities of neither. They certainly do not
paddle aloog, with the short steps and affected car-
riage of a Parisian belle, nor do they consider it
becoming, to walk the streets with the stride of a
grenadier. In short, though I may have occasion-
ally encountered more grace, than has met my
observation since my arrival in the United States,
assuredly I have never seen less of external deport-
ment, which the most rigid and fastidious critic
could fairly censure.

One of my earliest occupations was to visit the
courts of law. In the first I entered, there were two
judges on the bench, and a jury in the box, engaged
in the trial of an action of assault and battery, com-

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LAW COURTS OF NEW YORK. 35

mitted by one female on another. It is scarcely
possible to conceive the administration of justice
invested with fewer forms. Judges and barristers
were both wigless and gownless, and dressed in gar-
ments of such colour and fashion, as the taste of the
individual might dictate. There was no mace, nor
external symbol of authority of any sort, except the
staves which I observed in the hands of a few con-
stables, or officers of the court. In the trial there
was no more interest than what the quarrel of two
old women, in any country, may be supposed to ex-
cite. The witnesses, I thought, gave their evidence
with a greater appearance of phlegm and indifference
than is usual in our courts at home. No one seemed
to think, that any peculiar decorum of deportment
was demanded by the solemnity of the court. The
first witness examined, held the Bible in one hand,
while he kept the other in his breeches pocket,
and, in giving his evidence, stood lounging with his
arm thrown over the bench. The judges were men
about fifty, with nothing remarkable in the mode of
discharging their duty. The counsel were younger,
and, so far as I could judge, by no means deficient

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36 LAW COURTS OF NEW YORK.

either in zeal for the cause of their clients, or inge-
nuity in maintaining it. The only^ unpleasant j)art
of the spectacle, — for I do not suppose that justice
could be administered in any country with greater
substantial purity, — was the incessant salivation go-
ing forward in all parts of the court. Judges, coun-
sel, jury, witnesses, officers, and audience, all contri-
buted to augment the mass of abomination ; and the
floor around the table of the lawyers presented an
appearance, on which even now I find it not very
pleasant for the imagination to linger.

Having satisfied my curiosity in this court, I
entered another, which I was informed was the
Supreme Court of the state. The proceedings here
were, if possible, less interesting than those I had
already witnessed. The court were engaged in hear-
ing arguments connected with a bill of exchange,
and, whether in America or England, a speech on
such a subject must be a dull affair; I was therefore
on the point of departing, when a jury, which ha4
previously retired to deliberate, came into courts
and proceeded in the usual form to deliver their ver-
dict. It was not without astonishment, I confess,

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RESPECT PAID TO JUDGES. 37

that I remarked that three-fourths of the jurymeu
were engaged in eating bread and cheese, and that
the foreman actually announced the verdict with
his mouth full, ejecting the disjointed syllables du«
ring the intervals of mastication ! In truth, an Ame-
rican seems to look on a judge, exactly as he does on
a carpenter or coppersmith, and it never occurs to
him, that an administrator of justice is entitled to
greater respect than a constructor of brass knockers,
or the sheather of a ship's bottom. The judge and
the brazier are paid equally for their work; and
Jonathan firmly believes, that while he has money
in his pocket, there is no risk of his suffering from
the want either of law or warming pans.

I cannot think, however, that with respect to these
matters, legislation in this country has proceeded
on very sound or enlightened principles, A very
clever lawyer asked me last night, whether the sight
of their courts had not cured me of my John Builish
predilection for robes, wigs, and maces, and all the
other trumpery and irrational devices, for imposing
on weak minds. I answered, it had not; nay, so
far was the case otherwise, that had I before been

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38 OBSERVATIONS.

dbposed to question the utility of those forms to
which he objected, what I had witnessed since my
arrival in New York, would have removed all doubts
on the subject. A good deal of discussion followed,
and though each of us persisted in maintaining our
own opinion, it is only justice to state, that the argu-
ment was conducted by my opponent with the ut-
most liberality and fairness. I refrain from giving
the details of this conversation, because a ^^ proto-
col" signed only by one of the parties is evidently a
document of no weight, and where a casuist enjoys
the privilege of adducing the arguments on both
sides, it would imply an almost superhuman degree
of self-denial, were he not to urge the best on his
own, and range himself on the side of the gods,
leaving that of Cato to his opponent.

It is a custom in this country to ask, and generally
with an air of some triumph, whether an English-
man supposes there is wisdom in a wig; and whe-
ther a few pounds of horsehair set on a judge's skull,
and plastered with pomatum and powder, can be
imagined to bring with it any increase of knowledge
to the mind of the person whose cranium is thus dis-

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OBSERVATIONS. 39

agreeably enveloped? The answer is, No; we by no
means hold, either that a head au naturely or that gar-
ments of fustian or corduroy, are at all unfavourable
to legal discrimination ; and are even ready to ad-
mit, that in certain genial regions, a judge in cuerpo,
and seated on a wooden stool, might be as valuable
and efficient an administrator of law, as one wigged
to the middle, and clad in scarlet and ermine. But
whatever American is so deficient in dialectic, as to
imagine that this admission involves a surrender of
the question in debate, we would beg leave respect-
fully to remind him, that the schoolmaster is abroad,
and recommend him to improve his logic with the
least possible delay. If man were a being of pure
reason, forms would be unnecessary. But he who
should legislate on such an assumption, would afford
ample evidence of his own unfitness for the task.
Man is a creature of senses and imagination, and
even in religion, the whole experience of the world
has borne testimony to the necessity of some exter-
nal rite, or solemnity of observance, to stimulate his
devotion, and enable him to concentrate his faculties,
for the worship of that awful and incomprehensible

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40 OBSERVATIONS.

Being, " whose kingdom is, where time and space
are not" It is difficult to see on what principle,
those who approve the stole of the priest, and cover
their generals and admirals with gold lace, can con-
demn as irrational, all external symbols of dignity,
on the part of the judge. Let the Americans at all
events be consistent : While they address their
judges by a title of honour, let them at least be
protected from rudeness, and vulgar familiarity ; and
they may, perhaps, be profitably reminded, that the
respect exacted in a British court of justice, is ho-'
mage not to the individual seated on the bench, but
to the law, in the person of its minister. Law is the
only bond by which society is held together; its
administration, therefore, should ever be marked
out to the imagination, as well as to the reason of
the great body of a nation, as an act of peculiar and
paramount solemnity; and when an Englishman
sees the decencies of life habitually violated in the
very seat of justice, he naturally feels the less dis-
posed to dispense with those venerable forms with
which, in his own country, it has been wisely en-
circled. Our answer therefore is, that it is precisely

6

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DINNER AT THE HOTEL. 41

ih avoid such a state of things as now exists in the
American courts^ that the solemnities which invest
the discharge of the jndicial office in England, were
originally imposed, and are still maintained. We
regard ceremonies of all sorts, not as things import-
ant in themselves, but simply as means conducing
to an end. It matters not by what particular pro-
cess ; by what routine of observance ; by what visible
attributes, the dignity of justice is asserted, and its
sanctity impressed on the memory and imagination.
But at least let this end, by some means or other, be
secured; and if this be done, we imagine there is
little chance of our adopting many of the forensic
habits, of our friends on this side of the Atlantic.

At New York, the common dinner hour is three
o'clock, and I accordingly hurried back to the hotel.
Having made such changes and ablutions as the heat
of the court-rooms had rendered necessary, I de-
scended to the iar, an apartment furnished with a
counter, across which supplies of spirits and cigars
are furnished to all who desiderate such luxuries.
The bar, in short, is the lounging place of the esta-
blishment; and here, when the hour of dinner is at

VOL. I. D

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12 DINNER AT THE HOTEL.

hand, the whole inmates of the hotel may he found
collected. On the present occasion, the room was
so full, that I really found it difficult to get farther
than the door. At length a hell sounded, and no
sooner did its first vihration reach the ears of the
party, than a sudden rush took place towards the
diningroom, in which — heing carried forward by
the crowd — I soon found myself. The extreme pre-
cipitation of this movement appeared somewhat
uncalled for, as there was evidently no difficulty in
procuring places ; and on looking round the apart-
ment, I perceived the whole party comfortably

To a gentleman with a keen appetite, the coup
(TcM of the dinner- table was far from unpl easing.
The number of dishes was very great. The style
of cookery neither French nor English, though cer-
tainly approaching nearer to the latter, than to the
former. The dressed dishes were decidedly bad, the
sauces being composed of little else than liquid
grease, which, to a person like myself, who have an
inherent detestation of every modification of olea-
ginous matter, was an objection altogether insuper-

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AMERICAN MODE OF EATING. 43

able. On the whole, however, it would be unjust
to complain. If, as the old adage hath it, ^^ in the
multitude of counsellors there is wisdom," so may
it be averred, as equally consistent with human
experience, that in the multitude of dishes there is
good eating. After several unsuccessful experi-
ments, I did discover unobjectionable viands, and
made as good a dinner, as the ambition of an old
campaigner could desire.

Around, I beheld the same scene of gulping and
swallowing, as if for a wager, which my observa-
tions at breakfast had prepared me to expect. In
my own neighbourhood there was no conversation.
Each individual seemed to pitchfork his food down
his gullet, without the smallest attention to the wants
of his neighbour. If you asked a gentleman to help
you from any dish before him, he certainly com-
plied, but in a manner that showed you had imposed
on him a disagreeable office ; and instead of a slice^
your plate generally returned loaded with a solid
massive wedge of animal matter. The New York
carvers had evidently never graduated at Yauxhall.
Brandy bottles were ranged at intervals along the

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44 AMERICAN MODE OF EATING.

table, from which each guest helped himself as be
thought proper. As the dinner advanced, the party
rapidly diminished ; before the second course, a con-
siderable portion had taken their departure, and
comparatively few waited the appearance of the
dessert. Though brandy was the prevailing beverage,
there were many also who drank wine, and a small
knot of three or four (whom I took to be country-*
men of my own) were still continuing the carousal
when I left the apartment.

An American is evidently by no means a convi*
vial being. He seems to consider eating and drink-
ing as necessary tasks, which he is anxious to dis-
charge as speedily as possible. I was at first dispo-
sed to attribute this singularity to the claims of
business, which, in a mercantile community, might
be found inconsistent with more prolonged enjoy-
ment of the table. But this theory was soon relin-
quished, for I could not but observe, that many of the
most expeditious bolters of dinner spent several hours
afterwards, in smoking and lounging at the bar.

At six o'clock the bell rings for tea, when the
party musters again, though generally in diminifi^hed

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GRACE CHURCH— DIVINE SERVICE. 45

force. This meal is likewise provided with its due
proportion of solids. The most remarkable was raw
hung beef, cut into thin slices, of which, — horresco
referens^ — I observed that even ladies did not hesitate
to partake. The tea and coflFee were both execrable^
A supper, of cold meat, &c., follows at ten o'clock^
and remains on the table till twelve, when eating
terminates for the day. Such is the unvarying rou-
tine of a New York hotel.

On the first Sunday after my arrival, I attended
divine service in Grace Church, which is decidedly
the most fashionable place of worship in New York.
The congregation, though very numerous, was com-
posed almost exclusively of the wealthier class ; and
the gay dresses of the ladies, — whose taste generally
leads to a preference of the brightest colours, — pro*
duced an effect not unlike that of a bed of tulips.
Nearly in front of the reading desk, a comfortable
chair and hassock had been provided for a poor old
woman, apparently about fourscore. There was
something very pleasing in this considerate and be-
nevolent attention to the infirmities of a helpless and
withered creature, who probably had outlived her

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46 EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF AMERICA.

friends, and was soon about to rejoin them in the
^ave.

The Episcopal church of America differs little in
formula from that of England. The liturgy is the
same, though here and there an expression has been
altered, not always, I think, for the better. In the
first clause of the Lord's Prayer, for instance, the
word " which" has been changed into " who," on
the score of its being more consonant to grammati-
cal propriety. This is poor criticism, for, it will
scarcely be denied, that the use of the neuter pro-
noun carried with it a certain vagueness and subli-
mity, not inappropriate in reminding us, that our
worship is addressed to a Being incomprehensible,
infinite, and superior to all the distinctions appli-
cable to material objects. In truth, the grammatical
anomaly so obnoxious to the American critics, is not
a blemish, but a felicity. A few judicious retrench-
ments have also been made in the service, and many
of those repetitions which tend sadly to dilute the
devotional feeling, by overstraining the attention,
have been removed.

Trinity Church, in Broadway, is remarkable as

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MONUMENT OF GENERAL HAMILTON. 47

being the most richly endowed establishment in the
Union, and peculiarly interesting, from containing
in its cemetery the remains of the celebrated Ge-
neral Hamilton. I have always regarded the me-
lancholy fate of this great statesman with interest.
Hamilton was an American, not by birth, but by
adoption. He was born in the West Indies, but
claimed descent from a respectable Scottish family.
It may be truly said of him, that with every temp-
tation to waver in his political course, the path
he followed was a straight one. He was too honest,
and too independent, to truckle to a mob, and
too proud to veil or modify opinions, which, he
must have known, were little calculated to secure
popular favour. Hamilton brought to the task of le-
gislation, a powerful and perspicacious intellect, and
a memory stored with the results of the experience of
past ages. He viewed mankind not as a theorist, but
as a practical philosopher, and was never deceived
by the false and flimsy dogmas of human perfectibi-
lity, which dazzled the weaker vision of such men as
Jefferson and Madison. In activity of mind, in
soundness of judgment, and in the power of compre-

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48 CHARACTER OF GENERAL HAMILTOK.

bensive induction, he anqueetionably stood the first
man of his age and country. While the apprehen-
sions of other statesmen were directed against the
anticipated encroachments of the executive power,
Hamilton saw clearly that the true danger menaced
from another quarter. He was well aware that de-
mocracy, not monarchy, was the rock on which the
future destinies of his country were in peril of ship-
wreck. He was, therefore, desirous that the new Fe-
deral Constitution should be framed as much as pos-
sible on the model of that of England, which, beyond
all previous experience, had been found to produce
the result of secure and rational liberty. It is a false
charge on Hamilton, that he contemplated the intro-
duction of monarchy, or of the corruptions which had
contributed to impair the value of the British consti-
tution ; but he certainly was anxious that a salutary
and effective check should be found in the less popu-
lar of the legislative bodies, on the occasional rash
and hasty impulses of the other. He was favourable
to a senate chosen for life ; to a federal government
sufficiently strong to enforce its decrees in spite of
party opposition, and the conflicting jealousies of the

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GENERAL HAMILTON, 49

different States ; to a representation rather founded
on property and intelligence than on mere numbers ;
and perhaps of the two erils^ would have preferred
the tyranny of a single dictator, to the more degrad-
ing despotism of a mob.

Hamilton was snatched from his country, in the
prime of life and of intellect. Had he lived, it is
difficult to foresee what influence his powerful mind
might have exercised on the immediate destinies of
his country. By his talents and unrivalled powers
as an orator, he might have gained fair audience, and
some temporary favour, for his opinions. But this
could not have been lasting. His doctrines of
government in their very nature were necessarily
unpopular. The Federalist party from the first occu-
pied a false position. They attempted to convince
the multitude of their unfitness for the exercise
of political power. This of course failed. The in-
fluence they obtained in the period imimediately
succeeding the revolution, was solely that of talent
and character. Being personal, it died with the men,
and sometimes before them. It was impossible for
human efforts to diminish the democratic impulse

VOL. I. E

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50 MONUMENT IN TRINITY CHURCH.

giveu by the revolatioii, or to be long auccesaf ul in
retarding ite increase. In the very first struggle, the
Federalists were defeated once and for ever, and tibe
tenure of power by the Repablican party has ever
since, with one brief and partial exception^ continued
unbroken.

There is another tomb which I would notice
before quitting the churchyard of Trinity. On a
slab surmountiug an oblong pile of masonry, are
engraved the following words:

MY MOTHER.

TH£ TRUMP£T SHALL SOUND AND THE DEAD
SHALL ARISE.

This is the whole inscription ; and as I read the
words I could not but feel it to be sublimely affect-
ing. The name of him who erected this simple
monument of filial piety, or of her whose dust it
covers, is unpreserved by tradition. Why should
that be told, which the world cares not to know? It
is enough, that the nameless tenant of this humble
grave shall be known, <^ when the trumpet shall
sound and' the doad shall arise.'' Let us trust, that

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THEATRES. 51

the mother and her child will then be reunited, to
part no more.

One of the earliest occupations of a traveller
in a strange city, is to visit the theatres. There
are three in New York, and I am assured, that both
actors and managers prosper in their vocation. Such
a circumstance is not insignificant. It marks opu-
lence and comfort, and proves that the great body of
the people, after providing the necessaries of life,
possess a surplus, which they feel at liberty to
lavish on its enjoyments. I have already been seve-
ral times to the Park Theatre, which is decidedly
the most fashionable. The house is very comfortable,
and well adapted both for seeing and hearing. On
my first visit, the piece was Der Freischutz, which
was very wretchedly performed. The farce was new
to me, and, I imagine, of American origin. The chief
character is a pompous old baronet, very proud of his
family, and exceedingly tenacious of respect. In
his old age he has the folly to think of marrying, and
the still greater folly, to imagine the attractions of
his person and pedigree irresistible. As may be
anticipated, he is the laughing stock of the piece.

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52 ACTORS.

Insult and ridicule follow him in every scene ; he is
kicked and cuffed to the hearty content of the au-
dience, who return home full of contempt for the
English aristocracy, and chuckling at the thought
that there are no haronets in America*

My curiosity was somewhat excited by the high
reputation which an actor named Forrest has acqui-
red in this country. As a tragedian, in the estimate
of all American critics, he stands primus sine secundo*
To place him on a level with Kean, or Young, or
Kemble, or Macready, would here be considered as
an unwarranted derogation from his merits. He is
a Thespian without blemish and without rival.

I have since seen this vara avis, and I confess that
the praise so profusely lavished on him does appear
to me somewhat gratuitous. He is a coarse and
vulgar actor, without grace, without dignity, with
little fles;ibility of feature, and utterly commonplace
in his conceptions of character. There is certainly
some energy about him, but this is sadly given to
degenerate into rant. The audience, however, were
enraptured. Every increase of voice in the actor
wa9 followed by louder thunders from box, pit, and

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ACTORS* 53

gallery, till it Bometimes became matter of serioas
calculation, how much longer one's tympanum could
stand the crash. I give my impression of this gentle^
man's merits as an actor the more freely, because I
know he is too firmly established in the high opinion
of his countrymen, to be susceptible of injury from
the criticism of a foreigner, with all his prejudices,
inherent and attributive. Perhaps indeed he owes
something of the admiration which follows him on
the stage, to the excellence of his character in private
life. Forrest has realised a large fortune ; and I hear
from all quarters, that in the discharge of every
moral and social duty, he is highly exemplary. His
literary talents, I am assured, are likewise respect-
able.

My fellow-passenger. Master Burke, draws full
houses every night of his performance. Each time
I have seen him, my estimate of his powers has been
raised. In farce he dd^ admirably ; but what must
be said of the taste of an audience, who can even
tolerate the mimicry of a child, in such parts as
Lear, Shylock, Richard, and lago ?

No one can be four-and-twenty hours in New

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54 FIRES IN NEW YORK.

York without bearing the alarm of fire. Indeed, a
conflagration here is so very ordinary an occurrence)
that it is attended by none of that general anxiety
and excitement which follow such a calamity in
cities less accustomed to combustion. The New
York firemen are celebrated for resolution and acti-
vity ; and as the exercise of these qualities is always
pleasant to witness, I have made it a point to attend
all fires since my arrival. The four first were quite
insignificant, indeed three of the number were ex-
tinguiBhed before my arrival, and I barely got up in'
time to catch a glimpse of the expiring embers of the
fourth. But in regard to the fifth, I was in better
luck. Having reached the scene, more than half
expecting it would turn out as trumpery an afiair as
its predecessors, I had at length the satisfaction of
beholding a very respectable volume of flame burst-
ing from the windows and roof of a brick tenement
of four stories, with as large an accompaniment of
smoke, bustle, clamour, and confurion as could rea-
sonably be desired. An engine came up almost
immediately after my arrival, and loud cries, and the
rattle of approaching wheels from either extremity

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FIREMEK* 55

of ike street, gave notice that further Mfiistanee was
at hand. Some time was lost in gettti^ water, and
I should think the municipal arrangmnents, in regard
to this matter, might be better managed* In a few
minutes, however, the difficulty was surmounted, and
the two dkments were brought fairly into eollisioa.

The firemen are composed of young citizens, who,
by volunteering this service, — and a very severe one
it is,*— enjoy an exemption from military duty. Cer-
tainly nothing could exceed their boldness and acti-
vity. Ladders were soon planted ; the walls were
scaled; furniture was carried from the house, and
thrown from the windows, without apparent c<mc«m
for the effects its descent might produce on the
i»kulls of the spectators in the street. Fresh engines
were continually coming up, and were brought into
instant play. But as the power of water waxed, so
unfortunately did that of the adverse element ; and
so far as the original building was concerned, the
odds soon became Pompey's pillar to a stick of seal-
ing-wax, on fire.

Day now closed, and the scene amid the darkness
became greatly increased in picturesque beauty. At

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56 FIRE IN NEW YORK.

intervals human figures were seen striding through
flame, and then vanishing amid thMMupke. In the
street, confusion became worse confounded. Had
the crowd been composed of stentors, the clamour
could not have beenlouder. The inhabitants of the
adjoining houses, who, till now, seemed to have
taken the matter very coolly, at length became
alarmed, when the engines began to play on them,
and ejected a torrent of chairs, wardrobes, feather-
beds, and other valuable chattels from every avail-
able opening. The house in which the fire broke
out was now a mere shell ; the roof gone, and all
the wooden- work consumed. The flames then burst
forth in the roof of the house adjoining on the right,
but the concentrated play of many engines soon sub«
dued it. All danger was then at an end. The inha^
bitants began to reclaim the furniture which they
had tumbl.ed out into the street, and I have no doubt
went afterwards to bed as comfortably as if nothing
had happened. I saw several of the inmates of the
house that had been burned, and examined their
countenances with some curiosity. No external
mark of excitement was visible^ and I gave theni

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COURAaE AND ACTIVITY OF THt FIREMEN. 57

credit for a degree of mmchalancey far greater than I
should have conceived possible in the circumstances.

On the whole, I have no deduction to make from
the praises so frequently bestowed on the New York
firemen. The chief defect that struck me, was the
;idmission of the crowd to the scene of action. This
caused, and must always cause, confusion. In Eng-
land, barriers are thrown across the street at some
distance, and rigorously guarded by the police and
constables. On suggesting this improvement to an
American friend, he agreed it would be desirable,
but assured me it was not calculated for the meri-
dian of the United States, where exclusion of any
kind is always adverse to the popular feeling. On
this matter, of course, I cannot judge, but it seems to
me clear, that if the exclusion of an idle mob from
the scene of a fire, increases the chance of saving
property and life, the freedom thus pertinaciously
insisted on, is merely that of doing private injury
and public mischief.

With regard to the frequency of fires in New York,
I confess, that after listening to all possible expla-
nations, it does appear to me unaccountable. I am

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58 PREQUENCY OF FIRES.

convinced, ihat in tUs single city there are annually
BMMre fires tlian occur in tlie whole Island of Great
Britain. The combustible inaterials of which the
majority of the houses are composed, is a circnm-
stance far from suficient to account for so enormous
a disparity. Can we attribute ft to crime? I tfatnk
not; at least it would require much stronger evi-^
deuce than has yet been discoTered to warrant the
hypothesis. In the negligence of serrants, we have
surer ground. These are generally negroes, and
rarely to be depended on in any way, when exempt
from rigid surveillance. But I am not going to con-
coct a theory, and so leave the matter as I find it.

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FESTIVAL AT K£W YORK. 51^

CHAPTER III.

NEW YORK— HUDSON RIVER.

The 25th of November, being tbe anniversary of
tibe evacoation of the city by the British army, is
always a ^and gala-day at New York. To perpe-
tuate the memory of this glorious event, there is
generally a parade of the militia, some firing of can-
non and small arms, a procession of the different
trades, and the day then terminates as it ought, in
profuse and patriotic jollification. But on the pre-
sent occasion it was determined, in addition to the
ordinary cause of rejoicing, to get up a pageant of
unusual splendour, in honour of the late Revolution
in France. This resolution, I was informed, origi-
nated exclusively in the operative class, or loorkies,
as they call themselves, in contradistinction to those
who live in better houses, eat better dinners, read

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60 PROCESSION IN HONOUR

novels and poetry, and drink old Madeira instead of
Yankee rum« The latter and more enviable class,
however, having been taught caution by the results
of the former French Revolution, were generally
disposed to consider the present congratulatory cele-
bration as somewhat premature, but finding it could
not be prevented, prudently gave in, and determined
to take part in the pageant.

It was arranged, that should the weather prove
unfavourable on the 25th, the gala should be defer-
red till the day following. Nor was this precaution
unwise. The morning of the appointed day was as
unpropitious, as the prayers of the most pious ad-
vocate of legitimacy could have wished. The rain
came down in torrents, the streets were flooded ankle
deep, and I could not help feeling strong compassion
for a party of militia, with a band of music, who with
doleful aspect, and drenched to the skin, paraded past
the hotel, to the tune of Yankee Doodle. But the
morning following was of better promise : the rain
had ceased, and though cold and cloudy, it was calm.

About ten o'clock, therefore, 1 betook myself to a
house in Broadway, to which I had been obligingly

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OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 61

invited to see the procession. Daring my progress,
every thing gave note of preparation. The shops were
closed, and men in military garb, and others de-
corated with scarfs and ribbons, were seen moving
hastily along to their appointed stations. On ap-
proaching the route of the procession, the crowd
became more dense, and the steps in front of the
houses were so completely jammed up with human
beings, that it was with difficulty I reached the door
of that to which I was invited.

Having at length, however, effected an entrance,
I enjoyed the honour of introduction to a large and
very pleasant party assembled with the same object
as myself, so that, though a considerable time elap-
sed before the appearance of the pageant, I felt no
inclination to complain of the delay. At length,
however, the sound of distant music reached the
ear; the thunder of drums, the contralto of the
fife, the loud clash of cymbals, and first and farthest
heard, the spirit-stirring notes of the trumpet.

On they came, a glorious cavalcade, making

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62 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESSION.

heaven yocal with soand of triumph, and eardi
beautiful with such colouring as nature never scat-
tered from her pictured urn.

And first appeared, gorgeously caparisoned, a gal-
lant steed bestrode by a cavalier, whose high and
martial bearing bespoke him the hero of a hundred
fights. "The name of this chieftain I was not fortu-
nate enough to learn. Next passed a body of militia,
who, if they wished to appear as unlike soldiers
as possible, were assuredly most successful. Then
came the trades. Butchers on horseback, or drawn
in a sort of rustic arbour or shambles, tastefully fes-
tooned with sausages. Tailors, with cockades and
breast-knots of ribbon, pacing to music, with ban*
ners representative of various garments, waving
proudly in the wind. Blacksmiths, with forge and
bellows. Caravans of cobblers most seducingly ap-
pareled, and working at their trade on a locomotive
platform, which displayed their persons to the best
advantage. And carpenters too, — ^but the rest must
be left to the imagination of the reader ; and if he
throw in a few bodies of militia, a few bands of
music, and a good many most ovtrS and unmilitary

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESSION. 69

lookiag officers, appareled in uniforms apparently
of tlie last century, he will form a very tolerable
idea of the spectacle*

I mast not, however, omit to notice the fire
endues, which formed a very prominent part of
the procession, it fortunately happening that no
houses were just at that moment in conflaglration.
These engines were remarkably clean and in high
order, and being adorned with a good deal of taste,
attracted a large share of admiration. Altogether, it
really did seem as if this gorgeous pageant were in-
terminable, and, like a dinner in which there is too
lai^ea succession of courses, it was impossible to do
equal justice to all its attractions. In the latter
case, the fervour with which we demonstrate our
admiration of one dish, forces us to disregard the
charms of atnother. If we are not unjust to venison,
we must subsequently slight partridge, and then
from a whole wilderness of sweets, our waning appe-
tite demands that we should select but one. And
thus it was, that I, fervent in my admiration of the
butchers, was, in due course, charmed with the car-
penters, and subsequently smitten with the singular

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64 EX- PRESIDENT MUXROE.

splendour of the saddlers. But another and another
still succeeded, till the eye and tongue of the spec-
tator became literally bankrupt in applause. Est
modiis et dtdci ; in short, there was too much of it,
and one could not help feeling, after three hours
spent in gazing, how practicable it was to become
satiated with pomp, as well as with other good
things.

But tedious as the spectacle was, it did at length
pass, and I walked on to Washington Square, in
which the ceremonies of the day were to conclude
with the delivery of a public oration. On arriving,
I found that a large stage, or hustings, had been
erected in the square. From the centre of this stage
rose another smaller platform, for the accommo-
dation of the high functionaries of the state and
city. As even the advanced guard of the proces-
sion had not yet given signal of its approach, it was
evident that some delay must occur, and I therefore
accepted an invitation to one of the houses in the
square, where I found a very brilliant concourse of
naval and military officers, and other persons of
distinction. Among these was the venerable Ex-

6

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EX-PRESIDENT MUNROE. 65

President Munroe. It was, of course, not without
interest that I gazed on an individual who had played
so distinguished a part during the most perilous epoch
of American history. He was evidently bent down by
the united inroads of age and infirmity ; and it was
with regret I learned, that to those afflictions, which
are the common lot of humanity, had been added
those of poverty. The expression of Mr Munroe's
countenance was mild, though not, I thought, highly
intellectual. His forehead was not prominent, yet
capacious and well defined. His eye was lustreless,
and his whole frame emaciated and feeble. It was
gratifying to witness the respect paid to this aged
statesman by all who approached him; and I was
delighted to hear the loud demonstrations of reve-
rence and honour, with which his appearance in the
street was hailed by the crowd.

Mr Munroe being too feeble to walk even so short
a distance, was conveyed to the hustings in an open
carriage. His equipage was followed by a cortige
of functionaries on foot ; and accompanying these
gentlemen, I was admitted without difficulty to the
lower platform, which contained accommodation for

VOL. I. F

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66 TttE OftATIOlr.

about a hundred. Haying arrived there, we had
still to wait some time for the commencement of the
performance, during which some vociferous mani-
festations of disapprobation were made by the mob,
who were prevented from approaching the hustings
by an armed force of militia. At length, however,
a portly gentleman came forward, and read aloud
the address to the French inhabitants of New York,
which had been passed at a public meeting. In
particular, I observed that his countenance and
gestures were directed towards a party of gentlemen
of that nation, who occupied a conspicuous station
on the stage beneath him. The document was too
wordy and prolix, and written in a style of ambi-
tious elaboration, which I could not help considering
as somewhat puerile.

While all this was going forward on the hustings,
the crowd without were becoming every instant
more violent and clamorous ; and a couple of boys
were opportunely discovered beneath the higher
scaffolding, engaged, either from malice or fun, in
knocking away its supports, altogether unembar-
rassed by the consideration, that had their eflForts

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RIOTOUS PROCEEDINGS OF THE MOB. 67

been successful, they must themselves hare been
inevitably crushed in the fall of the platform.

Notwithstanding these desagrimens^ the orator^*-
a gentleman named Governor — came forward with
a long written paper, which he commenced reading
in a voice scarcely audible on the hustings, and
which certainly could not be heard beyond its limits.
The crowd, in consequence, became still more ob-
atreperoiis. Having, no doubt, formed high antici*-
pations of pleasure and instruction from the gifted
inspiration of this gentleman's eloquence, it was cer-
tainly provoking to discover, that not one morsel of
it were they destined to enjoy. The orator was, in
consequence, addressed in ejaculations by no means
complimentary, and such cries as — ** Raise your
voice, and be damned to you !" "Louder !" — " Speak
out !" — *' We don't hear a word !" were accompanied
by curses which I trust were not deep, in proportion
either to their loudness or their number. In vain
did Mr Governor strain his throat, in compliance
with this unreasonable requisition, but Nature had
not formed him either a Hunt or an O'Connell, and
the ill-humour of the multitude was not diminished.

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68 THE MOB KNOCK DOWN THE HUSTINGS^

At length order geemed at an end. A number of
the mob broke through the barricade of soldiers,
and, climbing up the hustings, increased the party
there in a most unpleasant degree. But this was
not all. The dissatisfied crowd below, thought pro-
per to knock away the supports of the scaffolding,
and just as Mr Governor was pronouncing a most
emphatic period about the slavery of Ireland, down
one side of it came with an alarming crash. Fortu-
nately some gentlemen had the good sense to exhort
every one to remain unmoved ; and from a prudent
compliance with this precaution, I believe little in-
jury was sustained by any of the party. For my-
self, however, being already somewhat tired of the
scene, the panic had no sooner ceased, than I took
my departure.

Altogether, I must say that the multitude out of
earshot had no great loss. The oration appeared
a mere trumpery tissue of florid claptrap, which
somewhat lowered my opinion with regard to the
general standard of taste and intelligence in the
American people. On the whole, the affair was a
decided failure. What others went to see I know

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THE AFFAIR A FAILURC. 69

not, but had I not anticipated something better
worth looking at, than a cavalcade of artisans mount-
ed on cart-horses, and dressed out in tawdry finery,
or the burlesque of military display by bodies of
undrilled militia, I should probably have staid at
home. I do not say this is in allusion to any defi-
ciency of splendour in the pageant itself. A repub«
lie can possess but few materials for display, and in
the present case I should not have felt otherwise,
had the procession been graced by all the dazzling
appendages of imperial grandeur. In truth, I had
calculated on a sight altogether different. I expected
to see a vast multitude animated by one pervading
feeling of generous enthusiasm ; to hear the air rent
by the triumphant shouts of tens of thousands of
freemen, hailing the bloodless dawn of liberty, in a
mighty member of the brotherhood of nations. As
it was, I witnessed nothing so sublime. Throughout
the day, there was not the smallest demonstration of
enthusiasm on the part of the vast concourse of
spectators. There was no cheering, no excitement,
no general expression of feeling of any sort ; and I
believe the crowd thought just as much of France

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TO THE CAUSE OF ITS FAILURE.

as of Morocco, — ^tlie Cham of Tartary, as of Loais
Philippe, King of the French* They looked and
laughed indeed at the novel sight of their feltoir
tradesmen and apprentices tricked out in ribhons
and white stockings, and pacing, with painted ban*
ners, to the sound of music. But the moral of
the display, if I may so speak, was utterly over^
looked. The people seemed to gaze on the 6cen«
before them with the same feeling as Peter Bell did
on a primrose ; and it was evident enough — ^if, with-*^
out irreverence, I may be permitted to parody the
fine words of the noblest of contemporary poets,—
that in the unexcited imagination of each spectator,

A butcher on his steed so trim,
A moanted butcher was to him.
And he was nothing more*

Such was the source of my disappointment in
regard to this splendid festivity. How far it was
reasonable, others may decide. I can only say I
felt it.

One of the most pleasant evenings I have passed
since my arrival, was at a club composed of gentle-
men of literary taste, which includes among its

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LITERARY CLUB. 71

members, several of the most eminent individuals of
the Union. The meetings are weekly, and take place
at the hoase of each member in succession. The
party generally assembles about eight o'clock; an
hour or two is spent in conversation ; supper follows ;
and after a moderate, though social potation, the
meeting breaks up. I had here the honour of being
introduced to Mr Livingston, lieutenant-governor of
the State, Mr Gallatin, Mr Jay, and several other
gentlemen of high accomplishment.

Mr Gallatin I regarded with peculiar interest.
His name was one with which I had been long fami-
liar. Born in Switzerland, he became a citizen of
the United States, soon after the Revolution, and
found there a field, in which, it was not probable
that talents like his, would remain long without
high and profitable employment. I believe it was in
the cabinet of Mr Jefferson that Mr Gallatin com-
menced his career as a statesman. Since then, much
of his life has been passed either in high ofiices at
home, or as minister to some of the European
Courts ; and the circumstance of his foreign birth
rendering him ineligible to the office of President,

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72 MR GALLATIN.

this veteran statesman and diplomatist, wisely judg-*
ing that there should be * some space between the
cabinet and grave,' has retired from political life, and
finds exercise for his yet unbroken energies in the
calmer pursuits of literature.

In his youth Mr Gallatin must have been hand*
some. His countenance is expressive of great
sagacity. He is evidently an acute thinker, and his
conversation soon discovered him to be a ruthless
exposer of those traditionary or geographical so-
phisms, in politics and religion, by which the mind
of whole nations has been frequently obscured, and
from the influence of which, none perhaps are entire-
ly exempt. Mr Gallatin speaks our language with
a slight infusion of his native accent, but few have
greater command of felicitous expression, or write it
with greater purity.

An evening passed in such company, could not be
other than delightful. There was no monopoly of
conversation, but its current flowed on equably and
agreeably. Subjects of literature and politics were
discussed with an entire absence of that bigotry and
dogmatism, which sometimes destroy the pleat^ure of

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VOYAGE UP THE HUDSON. TS

interchange of opinion, even between minds of high
order. For myself, I was glad to enjoy an opportu-
nity of observing the modes of thinking peculiar to
intellects of the first class, in this new and interesting
coimtry, and I looked forward to nothing with more
pleasure, than availing myself of the obliging invi-
tation to repeat my visits at the future meetings of
the Club.

Having already passed a fortnight in one unbro-
ken chain of engagements in this most hospitable
city, I determined to give variety to the tissue of my
life, by accepting the very kind and pressing invita-
tion of Dr Hosack, to visit him at his country-seat
on the banks of the Hudson. The various works of
this gentleman have rendered his name well known
in Europe, and jHTocured his admission to the most
eminent Philosophical Institutions in England,
France, and Germany. For many years, he enjoyed
as a physician the first practice in New York, and
has recently retired from the toilsome labours of his
profession, with the reputation of great wealth, and
the warm esteem of his fellow-citizens.

VOL. I. Ct

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74 THE SCENERY OF THE HUDSON.

At eight o'clock in the morning, therefore, of a
day which promised to turn out more than usually
raw and disagreeable, I embarked in the steam-boat
North America, and proceeded up the river to Hyde-
Park, about eighty miles distant. I had anticipated
much enjoyment from the beautiful scenery on the
Hudson, but the elements were adverse. We had
scarcely left the quay, when the lowering clouds
began to discharge their contents in the form of
snow, and the wind was so piercingly cold that I
found it impossible, even with all appliances of
cloaks and great-coats, to remain long on deck.
Every now and then, however, I reascended from
below, to see as much as I could, and when nearly
halt frozen, returned to enjoy the scarcely less inte-
resting prospect of the cabin stove.

Of course, it was impossible, under such circum-
stances, to form any just estimate of scenery ; but
still the fine objects which appeared occasionally
glimmering through the mist, were enough to con-
vince me, that seen under more favourable auspices,
my expectations, highly as they had been excited,
were not likely to encounter disappointment. That

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THE STEAM-BOAT NORTH AMERICA. 75

portion of the scenery in particular, distinguished
by the name of the Highlands, struck me, as com-
bining the elements of the grand and beautiful, in a
very eminent degree. I remember nothing on the
Rhine at all equal to it. The river at this place has
found a passage through two ranges of mountains,
evidently separated by some convulsion of nature,
and which, in beauty and variety of form, and gran-
deur of effect, can scarcely be exceeded.

But the vessel in which this little voyage was
performed, demands some notice, even amid scenery
fine as that along which it conducted us with asto-
nishing rapidity. Its dimensions seemed gigantic.
Being intended solely for river navigation, the keel
is nearly flat, and the upper portion of the vessel
is made to project beyond the hull to a very consi-
derable distance on either side. When standing at
the stern, and looking forward, the extent of accom-
modation appears enormous, though certainly not
more than is required for the immense number of
passengers who travel daily between New York and
Albany. Among otlier unusual accommodations on
deck, I was rather surprised at observing a barber's

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76 BREAKFAST IN THE STEAM-BOAT,

shop, in which, — judging from the state of the visages
of my fellow-passengers, — I have no doubt that a
very lucrative trade is carried on.

The accommodation below was scarcely less wor-
thy of note. It consisted of two cabins, which I
guessed, by pacing them, to be an hundred and fifty
feet in length. The stemmost of these spacious
apartments is sumptuously fitted up with abundance
of mirrors, ottomans, and other appurtenances of
luxury. The other, almost equally large, was very in-
ferior in point of decoration. It seemed intended for
a sort of tippling-shop, and contained a bar^ where
liquors of all kinds, from Champagne to small beer,
were dispensed to such passengers as have inclination
to swallow, and money to pay for them. The sides
of both of these cabins were lined with a triple row
of sleeping-berths; and as the sofas and benches
were likewise convertible to a similar purpose, I was
assured, accommodation could be easily furnished
for about five hundred.

The scene at breakfast was a curiosity. I calcu-
lated the number of masticators at about three hun-
dred, yet there was no confusion, and certainly no

2

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BREAKFAST IN THE STEAM-BOAT. 77

scarcity of provisioa* As for the waiters, their name
might have been Legion^ for they were many, and
during the whole entertainment, kept skipping
about with the most praiseworthy activity, some
collecting money, and others engaged in the trans-
lation of cutlets and coffee. The proceedings of the
party in re breakfast, were no less brief and compen-
dious afloat, than I had observed them on shore. As
for eating^ there was nothing like it discoverable on
board the North America. Each man seemed to
devour^ under the nncontroUable impulse of some
sudden hurricane of appetite, to which it would be
difficult to find any parallel beyond the limits of the
Zoological Gardens. A few minutes did the business.
The clatter of knives and voices, vociferous at first,
speedily waxed faint and fainter, plates, dishes, cups^
and saucers disappeared as if by magic, and every
thing connected with the meal became so suddenly
invisible, that but for internal evidence, which the
hardiest sceptic could scarcely have ventured to dis-
credit, the breakfast in the North America might
have passed for one of those gorgeous, but unreal

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78 ARRIVAL AT HYDE PARK.

visions, which, for a moment, mock the eye of the
dreamer, and then vanish into thin air.

The steamer made several brief stoppages at vil-
lages on the river, for the reception and discharge of
goods or passengers. From the large warehouses
which these generally contained, they were evident-
ly places of considerable deposit for the agricultural
produce of the neighbouring country. They were
built exclusively of wood^ painted of a white colour ;
and, certainly, for their population, boasted an
unusual number of taverns, which gave notice of
their hospitality, on signboards of gigantic dimen-
sions. The business to be transacted at these places
occasioned but little loss of time. Every arrange-
ment had evidently been made to facilitate despatch,
and by two o'clock I found myself fairly ashore at
Hyde Park, and glad to seek shelter in the landing-
house from the deluge of snow, which had already
whitened the whole surface of the country.

I had just begun to question the landlord about
the possibility of procuring a conveyance to the
place of my destination, when Dr Hosack himself
appeared, having obligingly brought his carriage for

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VISIT TO DR HOSACK. 79

my conveyaace. Though the drive from the landing-
place led through a prettily variegated country, I was
not much in the humour to admire scenery, and
looked, I fear, with more indifference on the im-
provements past and projected, to which the Doctor
directed my attention, than would have been consis-
tent with politeness in a warmer and more comfort-
able auditor. The distance, however, was little more
than a mile, and, on reaching the house, the dis-
agreeables of the journey were speedily forgotten in
the society of its amiable inmates, and the enjoy-
ment of every convenience which wealth and hospi-
tality could supply. Dr Hosack had received his
professional education in Scotland, and passed a
considerable portion of his early life there. I was
fortunately enabled to afford him some information
relative to the companions of his early studiejs, many
of whom have since risen to eminence, while others,
perhaps not less meritorious, have lived and died
undistinguished. In return, the Doctor was good
enough to favour me, by communicating much
valuable knowledge on the state of science and the

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80 HYDE PARK.

arts in the United States, which I must have found
great difficulty in ohtaining from other sources.

There is this advantage in the pursuit of science,
that it tends to generate liberality of sentiment, and
destroy those prejudices which divide nations far
more effectually than any barrier of nature. Science
is of no country, and its followers, wherever born,
constitute a wide and diffusive community, and are
linked together by ties of brotherhood and interest,
which political hostility cannot sever. These obser-
vations were particularly suggested by my inter-
course with Dr Hosack. Though our conversation
was excursive, and embraced a vast variety of topics
fairly debateable between an American and an Eng-
lishman, I could really detect nothing of national
prejudice in his opinions. He uniformly spoke of
the great names of Europe with admiration and re-
spect, and his allusions to the achievements of his
countrymen in arts, arms, science, or philosophy,
betrayed nothing of that vanity and exaggeration,
with which, since my arrival, I had already become
somewhat familiar.

The following morning was bright and beautiful.

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VIEW FROM THE HOUSE. 81

The snow, except in places where the wind had
drifted it into wreaths, had entirely disappeared;
and after breakfast, I was glad to accept the invita-
tion of my worthy host, to examine his demesne,
which was really very beautiful and extensive. No-
thing could be finer than the situation of the house.
It stands upon a lofty terrace, overhanging the Hud-
son, whose noble stream lends richness and gran-
deur to the whole extent of the foreground of the
landscape. Above, its waters are seen to approach
from a country finely variegated, but unmarked by
any peculiar boldness of feature. Below, it is lost
among a range of rocky and wooded eminences of
highly picturesque outline. In one direction alone,
however, is the prospect very extensive, and in that,
(the southwest,) the Catskill Mountains, sending
their bald and rugged summits far up into the sky,
form a glorious framework for the picture.

We drove through a finely-undulating country, in
which the glories of the ancient forest have been re-
placed by bare fields, intersected by hideous zigzag
fences. God meant it to be beautiful, when He
gave such noble varieties of hill and plain, wood and

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82 DEMESNE OF DR HOSACK.

water; but man seemed determined it should be
otherwise. No beauty which the axe could remove
was suffered to remain; and wherever the tide of
population reached, the havoc had been indiscrimi-
nate and unsparing.

Yet, of this, it Were not only useless, but ridi-
culous to complain. Such changes are not op-
tional, but imperative. The progress of population
necessarily involves them, and they must be r^ard-
ed only as the process by which the wilderness is
brought to minister to the wants and enjoyments of
civilized man. The time at length comes, when an-
other and a higher beauty replaces that which has
been destroyed. It is only the state of transition
which it is unpleasant to behold ; the particular stage
of advancement in which the wild grandeur of na-
ture has disappeared, and the charm of cultivation
has not yet replaced it.

Dr Hosack was a farmer, and took great interest
in the laudable, but expensive amusement of im-
proving his estate. He Imd imported sheep and cattle
from England, of the most improved breeds, and in
this respect promised to be a benefactor to his neigh*

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FARMING IN AMERICA. b3

bourhood. I am not much of a farmer, and found
theDoctor sagacious about long horns and short legs,
in a d^ree which impressed me with a due con-
sciousness of my ignorance. The farm offices were
extensiye and well arranged, and contained some
excellent horses. A pair of powerful carriage-horses,
in particular, attracted my admiration. In this
country these fine animals cost only two hundred
dollars. In London, I am sure, that under Tatter-
sail's hammer, they would not fetch less than three
hundred guineas.

r But America is not the place for a gentleman far-
mer. The price of labour is high, and besides, it
cannot always be commanded at any price. The
condition of society is not yet ripe for farming on a
great scale.y There will probably be no American
Mr Coke for some centuries to come. The Trans-
atlantic Sir John Sinclairs are yet in ovo^ and a long
period of incubation must intervene, before we
can expect them to crack the shell. fAs things at
present stand, small farmers could beat the great
ones out of the fields/ What a man produces by his
own labour, and that of his family, he produces

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84 RETURN TO NEW YORK.

cheaply. What he is compelled to hire others to
perform, is done expensively. It is always the in-
terest of the latter to get as much, and give as little
labour in exchange for it as they can. Then arises
the necessity of bailiffs and overseers, fresh mouths
to be fed and pockets to be filled, and the owner
may consider himself fortunate if these are content
with devouring the profits, without swallowing the
estate into the bargain.

Having passed two very pleasant days with my
kind and hospitable friends, I again took steam on
my return to New York. Dr Hosack was good
enough to accompany me on board, and introduce
me to a family of the neighbourhood, who were re-
turning from their summer residence to pass the
winter in the city. In its members, was included
one of the most intelligent and accomplished ladies
I have ever met in any country. The voyage, there-
fore, did not appear tedious, though the greater part
of it was performed in the dark. About ten o'clock
the steam-boat was alongside the quay, and I speed-
ily found myself installed in my old quarters in
Bunker's hotel.

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SEMINARY OF EDUCATION. 85

CHAPTER IV.

NEW YORK.

Professor Griscomb, a member of the Society
of Friends, was obliging enough to conduct me over
a large seminary placed under his immediate super-
intendence. The general plan of education is one
with which, in Scotland at least, we are familiar,
and I did not remark that any material improvement
had followed its adoption in the United States. To
divide boys into large classes of fifty or a hundred,
in which, of course, the rate of advancement of the
slowest boy must regulate that of the cleverest and
most assiduous, does not, I confess, appear a system
founded on very sound or rational principles. On
this plan of retardation, it is, of course, necessary to
discover some employment for the boys, whose ta-

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86 PLAN OF EDUCATION,

lents enable them to outstrip their fellows ; and this
is done by appointing them to the office of monitor,
or teacher, of a subdivision of the class. This mode
of communicating knowledge has its advantages and
its faults. It is no doubt beneficial to the great body
of the class, who are instructed with greater facility,
and less labour to the master. But the monitors are
little better than scapegoats, who, with some injus-
tice, are made to pay the whole penalty of the com-
parative dulness of their companions. The system,
however, I have been assured, both in this country
and in England, is found to work well, and I have
no doubt it does so in respect to the average amount
of instruction imparted to the pupils. But the prin-
ciple of sacrificing the clever few, for the advance-
ment of the stupid many, is one, I still humbly con-
ceive, to be liable to strong objections. Of esta-
blishments on this principle, I have seen none more
successful than that of Professor Griscomb. Every
thing which zeal and talent on the part of the mas-
ter could effect, had obviously been done ; and on
the part of the scholars, there was assuredly no want

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SCHOOL DISCIPLINE. 87

of proficiency in any branch of knowledge adapted
to their age and capacity.

A striking difference exists between the system
of rewards and panishments adopted in the schools
of the United States, and in those of England. In
the former, neither personal infliction, nor forcible
coercion of any kind, is permitted. How far such a
system is likely to prove successful, I cannot yet
form an opinion, but judging solely from the semi-
nary under Dr Griscomb, I should be inclined to
augur favourably of its results. It has always, how-
ever, appeared strange to me, that the Americans
should betray so strong an antipathy to the system
of the public schools of England. There are no
other establishments, perhaps, in our country, so
entirely republican both in principle and practice.
Rank is there allowed no privileges, and the only
recognised aristocracy is that of personal qualities.
Yet these schools are far from finding favour in
American eyes. The system of fa^ng, in particular,
is regarded with abhorrence ; and since my arrival, I
have never met any one who could even speak of it
with patience. The state of feeling on this matter

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88 SCHOOL DISCIPLINE.

in tbe two countries presents this curious anomaly :
A young English nobleman is sent to Westminster
or Winchester to brush coats and wash tea-cups,
while the meanest American storekeeper would red-
den with virtuous indignation at the very thought of
the issue of his loins contaminating his plebeian
blood by the discharge of such functions.

This difference of feeling, however, seems to ad-
mit of easy explanation. In England, the menial
offices in question form the duties oi freemen; in
America^ even in those States where slavery has
been abolished, domestic service being discharged
by Negroes, is connected with a thousand degrading
associations. So powerful are these, that I have
never yet conversed with an American who could
understand that there is nothing intrinsically dis-
graceful in such duties ; and their being at all con-
sidered so, proceeds entirely from a certain confu-
sion of thought, which connects the office with the
manners and character of those by whom it is dis-
charged. In a country where household services
are generally performed by persons of respectable
character, on a level, in point of morals and acquire-

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SCHOOL DISCIPLINE. 89

xnent) with other handicraftsmen, it is evident that
sach prejudice could exist in no material degree.
But it certainly could not exist at all in a country,
where for a certain period such services were per-
formed hy an, including every rank below royalty.
Let the idea of personal degradation, therefore, be
wholly abstracted, and then the question will rest on
its true basis, namely, whether such discipline as
that adopted in our public schools, be favourable to
the improvement of the moral character or not ?

In England, the system is believed from long ex-
perience to work practically well. No man will say,
that British gentlemen, formed under the discipline
of these institutions^ are deficient in high beai'ing,
or in generous spirit ; nor will it readily be consi-
dered a disadvantage, that those who are afterwards
to wield the united influence of rank and wealth,
should, in their early years, be placed in a situation,
where their personal and moral qualities alone can
place them even on an equality with their compa-
nions.

It is very probable, indeed, that a system suited
to a country, in which gradation of ranks forms an

VOL. I. H

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90 SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN OF COLOUR.

integral part of the constitutioiiy may not be adapted
to another, which differs so widely in these respects,
as the United States. Here, there is no pride of birth
or station to be overcome ; and whether, under cir-
cumstances SO different, the kind of discipline in
question might operate beneficially or otherwise, is a
point on which I certainly do not presume to decide.
I only assert my conviction, that in this country it
has never yet been made the subject of liberal and
enlightened discussion, and therefore that the value
of Transatlantic opinion with regard to it isabsolutely
null. The conclusion adopted may be right, but
the grounds on which it is founded are evidently
wrong.

Having resolved to devote the day to the inspec-
tion of schools, I went from that under the superin*
tendence of Professor Griscomb, to another for the
education of children of colour. I here found about
a hundred boys, in whose countenances might be
traced every possible gradation of complexion be-
tween those of the swarthy Ethiop and florid Euro-
pean. Indeed several of the children were so fair,
that I certainly never should have discovered the

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SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN OF COLOUR. 91

lurking taint of African descent. In person they
were clean and neat, and though of course the off-
spring of the very lowest class of the people, there
was nothing in their dress or appearance indicative
of abject poverty. The master struck me as an in-
telligent and benevolent man. He frankly answered
all my questions, and evidently took pride in the
proficiency of his pupils.

It has often happened to me, since my arrival in
this country, to hear it gravely maintained by men
of education and intelligence, that the Negroes were
an inferior race, a link as it were between man and
the brutes. Having enjoyed few opportunities of
observation on people of colour in my own coun-
try, I was now glad to be enabled to enlarge my
knowledge on a subject so interesting. I therefore
requested the master to inform me whether the re-
sults of his experience had led to the inference, that
the aptitude of the Negroe children for acquiring
knowledge was inferior to that of the whites. In
reply, he assured me they had not done so ; and, on
the contrary, declared, that in sagacity, perseverance,
and capacity for the acquisition and retention of

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92 CONDITION OF COLOURED POPULATION.

knowledge, his poor despised scholars were equal to
any boys he had ever known. <^ But alas, sir !" said
he, ^^ to what end are these poor creatures taught
acquirement, from the exercise of which they are
destined to be debarred, by the prejudices of society?
It is surely but a cruel mockery to cultivate talents^
when in the present state of public feeling, there is
no field open for their useful employment. Be his
acquirements what they may, a Negroe is still a
Negroe, or, in other words, a creature marked out
for degradation, and exclusion from those objects
which stimulate the hopes and powers of other men."

I observed, in reply, that I was not aware that, in
those States in which slavery had been abolished,
any such barrier existed as that to which he alluded.
" In the State of New York, for instance," I asked,
^^ are not all oiEces and professions open to the man
of colour as well as to the white ?"

" I see, sir," replied he, " that you are not a
native of this country, or you would not have asked
such a question." He then went on to inform me,
that the exclusion in question did not arise from any
legislative enactment, but from the tyranny of that

. Digitized by VjOOQIC

Proficiency of the scholars. 98

prejudice, which, regarding the poor black as a being
of inferior order, works its own fulfilment in making
him so. There was no answering this, for it accord-
ed too well with my own observations in society,
not to carry my implicit belief.

The master then proceeded to explain the system
of education adopted in the school, and subsequent-
ly afforded many gratifying proofs of the proficiency
of his scholars. One class were employed in navi-
gation, and worked several complicated problems
with great accuracy and rapidity. A large propor-
tion were perfectly conversant with arithmetic, and
not a few with the lower mathematics. A long and
rigid examination took place in geography, in the
course of which questions were answered with faci-
lity, which I confess would have puzzled me exceed-
ingly, had they been addressed to myself.

I had become so much interested in the little
party-coloured crowd before me, that I recurred to
our former discourse, and enquired of the master,
what would probably become of his scholars on
their being sent out into the world? Some trades,
some description of labour of course were open to

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94 THE COLOURED POPULATION NOT FREE*

them, and I expressed my desire to know what these
were. He told me they were few. The class study-
ing navigation, were destined to be sailors ; but let
their talents be what they might, it was impossible
they could rise to be officers of the paltriest mer-
chantman that entered the waters of the United
States. The office of cook or steward was indeed
within the scope of their ambition; but it was just as
feasible for the poor creatures to expect to become
Chancellor of the State, as mate of a ship. In other
pursuits it was the same. Some would become stone-
masons, or bricklayers, add to the extent of carrying
a hod, or handling a trowel, the course was clear
before them; but the office of master-bricklayer
was open to them in precisely the same sense as the
Professorship of Natural 'Philosophy. No white
artificer would serve tinder a coloured master. The
most degraded Irish emigrant would scout the idea
with indignation. As carpenters, shoemakers, or
tailors, they were still arrested by the same barrier.
In either of the latter capacities, indeed, they might
work for people of their own complexion, but no
gentleman would ever think of ordering garments of

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SUBJECTED TO THE SLAVERY OF OPINION. 95

any sort from a Schneider of cuticle less white than
his own. Grocers they might be, but then who
could conceive the possibility of a respectable house-
hold matron purchasing tea or spiceries from a vile
" Nigger ?" As barbers, they were more fortunate,
and in that capacity might even enjoy the privilege
of taking the President of the United States by the
nose. Throughout the Union, the department of
domestic service peculiarly belongs to them, though
recently they are beginning to find rivals in the
Irish emigrants, who come annually in swarms like
locusts.

On the whole, I cannot help considering it a mis-
take to suppose, that slavery has been abolished in
the Northern States of the Union. It is true, indeed,
that in these States the power of compulsory labour
no longer exists ; and that one human being within
their limits, can no longer claim property in the
thews and sinews of another. But is this all that is
implied in the. boon of freedom? If the word mean
any thing, it must mean the enjoyment of equal
rights, and the unfettered exercise in each indivi-
dual of such powers and faculties as Grod has given

Digitized,by VjOOQIC

96 NEGROES A DEGRADED CLASS.

him. In this true meaning of the word, it may be
safely asserted, that this poor degraded caste are still
slaves. They are subjected to the most grinding
and humiliating of all slaveries, that of universal
and unconquerable prejudice. The whip, indeed, has
been removed from the back of the Negro, but the
chains are still on his limbs, and he bears the brand
of degradation on his forehead. What is it but
mere abuse of language to call him^^^, who is
tyrannically deprived of all the motives to exertion
which animate other men ? The law, in truth, has
left him in that most pitiable of all conditions, a
masterless slave.

It cannot be denied, that the Negro population are
still compelled, as a class, to be the hewers of wood,
and drawers of water, to their fellow-citizens. Citi*
zens ! there is indeed something ludicrous in the
application of the word to these miserable Pariahs.
What privileges do they enjoy as such ? Are they
admissible upon a jury ? Can they enroll themselves
in the militia? Will a white man eat with them, or
extend to them the hand of fellowship? Alas! if
these men, so irresistibly manacled to degradation.

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CONDITION OF THE COLOURED l»OPULATION. 97

are to be csAled/ree, tell us, at least, wbat stuff are
slaves made of!

But on this subject, perhaps, another tone of ex-
pression — of thought, there can be no other — may-
be more judicious. I have already seen abundant
proofs, that the prejudices against the coloured por-
tion of the population, prevail to an extent, of which
an Englishman could have formed no idea. But
many enlightened men, I am convinced, are above
them. To these I would appeal. They have already
begun the work of raising this unfortunate race
from the almost brutal state to which tyranny and
injustice had condemned it. But let them not con*
tent themselves with such delusive benefits as the
extension of the right of suffrage, recently conferred
by the Legislature of New York.* Tho opposition

* The Legislature of New York, in 1829, extended the right of
•uffrage to men of colour, possessed of a dear freehold estate^ unthout
encumbrance, of the value of 250 dollars. A very safe concession no
doubt, since to balance the black interest, the same right of suffrage
was granted to even^ white male of twenty-one years, who has been
one year in the State. It might be curious to know how many
coloured voters became qualified by this enactment. They must in-
deed have been rari nanies in gurgite vasto of the election.

VOL. I. I

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98 CONDITION OF THE COLOURED POPULATION,

to be overcome, is not that of lawy but of opinion^ If
in unison with the ministers of religion, they will
set their shoulders to the wheel, and combat preju-
dice with reason, ignorance with knowledge, and
Pharisaical assumption with the mild tenets of Chris-
tianity, they must succeed in infusing a better tone
into the minds and hearts of their countrymen. It
is true, indeed, the victory will not be achieved in a
day, nor probably in an age, but assuredly it will
come at last. In achieving it, they will become the
benefactors, not only of the Negro population, but
of their fellow-citizens. They will give freedom to
both; for the man is really not more free whose
mind is shackled by degrading prejudice, than he
who is its victim.

As illustrative of the matter in hand, lam tempt-
ed here to relate an anecdote, though somewhat out
of place, as it did not occur till my return to New
York in the following Spring. Chancing one day at
the Ordinary at Bunker's, to sit next an English
merchant from St Domingo ; in the course of con-
versation, he mentioned the following circumstances.
The son of a Haytian general, high in the favour of

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ANECDOTE OP A YOUNG HAYTIAN. 99

Boyer, recently accompanied him to New York,
which he came to visit for pleasure and instruction.
This young man, though a mulatto, was pleasing in
manner, and with more intelligence than is usually
to be met with in a country in which education is
so defective. At home, he had been accustomed to
receive all the deference due to his rank, and when
he arrived in New York, it was with high anticipa-
tions of the pleasure that awaited him in a city so
opulent and enlightened*

On landing, he enquired for the best hotel, and
directed his baggage to be conveyed there. He was
rudely refused admittance, and tried several others
with similar result* At length he was forced to
take up his abode in a miserable lodging-house kept
by a Negro woman. The pride of the yoiing Haytian,
(who, sooth to say, was something of a dandy, and
made imposing display of gold chains and brooches,)
was sadly galled by this, and the experience of every
hour tended further to confirm the conviction, that,
in this country, he was regarded as a degraded
being, with whom the meanest white man would
hold it disgraceful to associate. In the evening he

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100 DIFFERENCE OF FEELING IN ENGLAND

went to tbe theatre, and tendered his money to the
box-keeper. It was tossed back to him, with a dis-
dainful intimation, that the place for persons of his
colour was the upper gallery.

On the following morning, my countryman, who
had frequently been a guest at the table of his fa-
ther, paid him a visit. He found the young Hay-
tian in despair. All his dreams of pleasure were
gone, and he returned to his native island by the
first conveyance, to visit the United States no more.

This young man should have gone to Europe.
Should he visit England, he may feel quite secure,
that if he have money in his pocket, he will offer
himself at no hotel, from Land's End to John O'-
Groat's house, where he will not meet a very cor-
dial reception. Churches, theatres, operas, concerts,
coaches, chariots, cabs, vans, waggons, steam-boats,
railway carriages and air balloons, will all be open
to him as the daylight. He may repose on cushions
of down or of air, he may charm his ear with music,
and his palate with luxuries of all sorts. He may
travel en prince or en roturievy precisely as his fancy
dictates, and may enjoy even the honours of a crown*

•. _ , Digitized by VjOOQIC

IN REGARD TO PEOPLE OF COLOUR. 101

ed head, if he will only pay like ooe. In short, so loog
as he carries certain golden ballast about with him,
all will go well. But, when that is done, God help
him. He will then become familiar with the provi-
sions of the vagrant act, and Mr Roe or Mr Ballantine
will recommend exercise on the treadmill, for the
benefit of his constitution. Let him but show his
nose abroad, and a whole host of parish overseers
will take alarm. The new police will bait him like a
bull ; and should he dare approach even the lowest
eating-house, the master will shut the door in his
face. If he ask charity, he will be told to work. If
he beg work, be will be told to get about his busi-*
ness. If he steal, he will be found a free passage to
Botany Bay, and be dressed gratis on his arrival, in
an elegant suit of yellow. If he rob, he will be
found a free passage to another world, in which, as
there is no paying or receiving in payment, we may
hope that his troubles will be at an end for ever.

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102 HOUSES IN NEW YORK.

CHAPTER V.

NEW YORK.

Having moved, since my arrival, in a tolerably
wide circle, I now feel qualified to offer some obser-
vations on the state of society in New York. The
houses of the bptter order of citizens, are generally
of brick, sometimes faced with stone or marble, and
in the allotment of the interior very similar to tene-
ments of the same class in England. The dining
and drawing-rooms are uniformly on the*' ground
floor, and communicate by folding doors, which^
when dinner is announced, are thrown open for the
transit of the company. The former of these apart-
ments, so far as my observation has carried me, dif-
fers nothing in appearance from an English one.
But the drawing-rooms in New York certainly strike

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DEFICIENCY IN POINT OF ELEGANCE. 103

me as being a good deal more primitive in their ap-
pliances than those of the more opulent classes in
the old country. Furniture in the United States is
sf^rently not one of those articles in which wealth
takes pride in displaying its superiority. Every
thing is comfortable, but every thing is plain. Here
are no buhl tables, nor or-molu clocks, nor gigantic
mirrors, nor cabinets of Japan, nor draperies of silk
or velvet ; and one certainly does miss those thou-
sand elegancies, with which the taste of British
ladies delights in adorning their apartments. In
short, the appearance of an American mansion is de-
cidedly republican. No want remains unsupplied,
while nothing is done for the gratification of a taste
for expensive luxury.

This is as it should be* There are few instances
of such opulence in America as would enable its
owner, without inconvenience, to lavish thousAids
on pictures, ottomans, and china vases. In such a
country, there are means of profitable outlay for
every shilling of accumulated capital, and the Ame-
ricans are too prudent a people to invest in objects
of mere taste, that which, in the more vulgar shape

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104 CUSTOM OF PRIMOGENITURE.

of cotton or tobacco, would tend to the replenishing
of their pockets. And, after all, it is better, per-
haps, to sit on leather or cotton, with a comfortable
balance at one's banker's book, than to lounge on
damask, and tread on carpets of Persia, puzzling our
brains about the budget and the ways and means.

One cause of the effect j ust noticed, is unquestion-
ably the absence of the law, or rather the custom of
primogeniture. A man whose fortune, at bis death,
must be divided among a numerous family in equal
proportions, will not readily invest any considerable
portion of it, in such inconvertible objects as the
productions of the fine arts, and still less in articles
of mere household luxury, unsuited to the circum*
stances of his descendants. It will rarely happen
that a father can bequeath to each of his children
enough to render tbem independent. They have to
struggle into opulence as best they may ; and assu-
redly, to men so circumstanced, nothing could be
more inconvenient and distasteful, than to receive
any part of their legacies, in the form of pictures,
or scagliola tables, instead of Erie canal shares, or
bills of the New York Bank..

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SERVANTS IN AMERICA. 105

Anothc^r circumstance, probably not without it»
effect in recommending both paucity and plainness
of furniture, is the badness of the servants. These
are chiefly people of colour, habituated from their
cradle to be regarded as an inferior race, and con-
sequently sadly wanting both in moral energy and
principle. Every lady with whom I have conversed
on the subject, speaks with envy of the superior
comforts and facilities of an English establishment.
A coloured servant, they declare, requires perpe-
tual supervision. He is an executive, not a delibe-
rative being. Under such circumstances the drud-
gery that devolves on an American matron, I should
imagine to be excessive. She must direct every ope-
ration that is going on from the garret to the cellar.
She must be her own housekeeper ; superintend all
the outgoings and comings in, and interfere in a
thousand petty and annoying details, which, in Eng-
land, go on like clock-work, out of sight and out of
thought.

If it fare so with the mistress of an establishment,
the master has no sinecure. A butler is out of the
question. He would much rather know that the

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106 SERTANTS IN AMERICA.

keys of hb cellar were at the bottom of the Hudson,
than in the pocket of black Caesar, with a fair op*
portunity of getting at his Marston or his Bingham.
Few of the coloared population have energy to resist
temptation. The dread of punishment has been re-
moved as an habitual motive to exertion, but the
sense of inextinguishable dq^adation yet remains.

The torment of such servants has induced many
families in New York to discard them altogether, and
supply their places with natives of the Emerald Isle.
It may be doubted, whether the change has gene-
rally been accompanied by much advantage. Do-
mestic service in the United States, is considered as
degrading by all untainted by the curse of African
descent. No native American could be induced to
it, and popular as the present President may be, he
would probably not find one of his constituents,
whom any amount of emolument would induce to
brush his coat, or stand behind his carriage. On
their arrival in this country, therefore, the Scotch
and English, who are not partial to being looked
down upon by their neighbours, very soon get hold
of this prejudice ; but he of that terrestrial paradise,

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S£RVAKTS IN AMERICA. 107

<< first flower of the earth, and first gem of the sea,''
has no such scruples. Landing olften at the quay of
New York, without hat, shoes, and sometimes less
dispensable garments, he is content to put his pride
in his pocket, where there is alwajrs ample room for
its accommodation. But even with him domestic
service is only a temporary expedient. The moment
he contrives to scrape together a little money, he
bids his master good morning, and, fired with the
ambition of farming or storekeeping, starts off for
the back country.

The nuisance of this is, that no white servant is
ever stationary in a place. He comes a mere clod-
pole, and is no sooner taught his duty, and become
an useful member of the house, than he accepts the
Chiltem Hundreds, and a new writ must forthwith
be issued for a tenant of the pantry. Now, though
annual elections may be very good things in the
hodypoliticy the most democratic American will pro-
bably admit, that in the body domtsticj the longer
the members keep their seats the better. Habits of
office are of some value in a valet, as well as in a
secretary of state, and how these are to be obtained

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108 SERVANTS IN AMERICA.

by either functionary, as matters are at present or-
dered in this country, I profess myself at a loss to
understand.

When you enter an American house, either in
quality of casual visitor or invited giiest, the servant
never thinks of ushering you to the company ; on
the contrary, he immediately disappears, leaving you.
to explore your way, in a navigation of which you
know nothing, or to amuse yourself in the passage
by counting the hat-pegs and umbrellas. In a strange
house, one cannot take the liberty of bawling for
assistance, and the choice only remains of opening
doors on speculation, with the imminent risk of in-
truding on the bedroom of some young lady, or of
cutting the gordian knot by escaping through the
only one you know any thing about. I confess, that
the first time I found myself in this unpleasant pre-
dicament, the latter expedient was the one I adopted, .
though I fear not without offence to an excellent
family, who, having learned the fact of my admis-
sion, could not be supposed to understand the motive
of my precipitate retreat.

On the whole, the difference is not striking, I

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MANNERS OF THE HIGHER ORDERS. 109

should imagine, between the social habits of the
people of New York, and those prevalent in our
first-rate mercantile cities. In both, the faculties
are exerted in the same pursuits ; in both, the domi-
nant aristocracy is that of wealth; and in both,
there is the same grasping at unsubstantial and un-
acknowledged distinctions.

It is the fashion to call the United States the land
of liberty and equality. If the term equality be
understood simply as implying, that there exists no
privileged order in America, the assertion, though not
strictly true,* may pass. In any wider acceptation
it is mere nonsense. There is quite as much prac-
tical equality in Liverpool as New York. The mag-
nates of the Exchange do not strut less proudly in
the latter city than in the former; nor are their
wives and daughters more backward in supporting
their pretensions. In such matters legislative enact-
ments can do nothing. Man's vanity, and the de-
sire of distinction inherent in his nature, cannot be

^ Not strictly true, because in many of the States the right of suf^
frage is made dependent on a certain qualification in property. In
Virginia, in particular, this qualification is very high.

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110 MANNERS OF THE HIGHER ORDERS.

repressed. If obstructed in one outlet, it will only
gush forth with greater vehemence at another. The
most contemptible of mankind has some talent of
mind or body, some attraction — ^virtue — accomplish-
ment — dexterity — or gift of fortune, — in short,
something real or imaginary, on which he arrogates
superiority to those around him. The rich man
looks down upon the poor, the learned on the igno-
rant, the orator on him unblessed with the gift of
tongues, and ^^ he that is a true-bom gentleman,
and stands upon the honour of his birth,'' despises
the roturieTy whose talents have raised him to an
estimation in society perhaps superior to his own.

Thus it is with the men, and with the fairer sex
assuredly it is not different. No woman, conscious
of attraction, was ever a republican in her heart.
Beauty is essentially despotic — ^it uuiformly asserts
its power, and never yet consented to a surrender of
privilege. I have certainly heard it maintained in
the United States, that all men were equal, but never
did I hear that assertion from the lips of a lady.
On the contrary, the latter is always conscious of
the full extent of her claims to preference and ad-

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AMERICAN ARISTOCRACY. Ill

miration, and is never satisfied till slie feels them
to be acknowledged. And what zephyr is too light to
fill the gossamer sails of woman's vanity ! The form
of a feature, the whiteness of a hand, the shade of
a ringlet, a cap, a feather, a trinket, a smile, a mo-
tion — all, or any of these, or distinctions yet finer
and more shadowy, if such there be — are enough,
here as elsewhere, to constitute the sign and shibbo-
leth of her fantastic supremacy. It is in vain, there-
fore, to talk of female republicans; there exists,
and can exist, no such being on either side of the
Atlantic, for human nature is the same on both.

In truth, the spirit of aristocracy displays itself in
this commercial community in every variety of form.
One encounters it at every turn. T'other night,
at a ball, I had the honour to converse a good deal
with a lady, who is confessedly a star of the first
magnitude in the hemisphere of fashion. She enqui-
red what I thought of the company. I answered,
<^ that I had rarely seen a party in any country in
which the average of beauty appeared to me to be
so high."

<< Indeed !" answered my fair companion, with an

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112 ARISTOCRACY OF FASHION.

expression of surprise; ^^ it would seem that you
Euglish gentlemen are not difficult to please; but
does it strike you, that the average is equally high
as regards air, manner, fashion ?"

" In regard to such matters,'* I replied, " I cer-
tainly could not claim for the party in question any
remarkable distinction ; but that, in a scene so ani-
mated, and brilliant with youth, beauty, and gaiety
of spirit, I was little disposed to play the critic."

** Nay,*' replied my opponent, for the conversa-
tion had already begun to assume something of the
form of argument, " it surely requires no spirit of
rigid criticism, to discriminate between such a set
of vulgarians, as you see collected here, and ladies
who have been accustomed to move in a higher and

better circle. Mrs is an odd person, and

makes it a point to bring together at her balls all
the riff-raflf of the place — people whom, if you were
to remain ten years in New York, you would pro-
bably never meet any where else. I assure you,

there are not a dozen girls in this room that I should

«
think of admitting to my own parties."

Thus driven from the field, I ventured to direct

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ARISTOCRACY OF FASHION^ 113

her notice to several elegant and pretty girls, abont
whom I asked some questions. Their attractions,
however, were either not admitted, or when these
were too decided to allow of direct negation, the sub-
ject was ingeniously evaded. If I talked of a pretty
foot, I was told its owner was the daughter of a
tobacconist. If I admired a graceful dancer, I wa^
•assured (what I certainly should not have discover-
ed) that the young lady was of vulgar manners, and
without education. Some were so utterly unknown
to fame, that the very names, birth, habits, and
connexions, were buried in the most profound and
impenetrable obscurity. In short, a Count of the
Empire, with his sixteen quarterings, probably would
not have thought, and certainly would not have
spoken, with contempt half so virulent of these fair
plebeians. The reader will perhaps agree, that there
are more exdusives in the world than the lady-pa-
tronesses of Al mack's.

I shall now give an instance of the estimation in
which wealth is held in this commercial community.
At a party a few evenings ago, the worthy host was
politely assiduous in introducing me to the more

VOL. I. K

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114 ARISTOCRACY OP WEALTH.

prominent individuals who composed it. Unfortu-
nately, he considered it necessary to preface each
repetition of the ceremony with some preliminary
account of the pecuniary circumlstances of the gen-
tleman, the honour of whose acquaintance was about
to be conferred on me. " Do you observe," he
asked, ^^ that tall thin person, with a cast in his eye,^
and his nose a little cocked ? Well, that man, not
three months ago, made an hundred thousand dol-
lars by a single speculation in tallow. You must
allow me to introduce you to him."

The introduction passed, and my zealous cicerone
again approached, with increased importance of as-
pect — " A gentleman," he said, " worth at least
half a million, had expressed a desire to make my
acquaintance." This was gratifying, and, of course,
not to be denied. A third time did our worthy en-
tertainer return to the charge, and before taking
my departure, I had the honour of being introduced
to an individual) who was stated to be still more
opulent than his predecessors. Had I been pre-
sented to so many bags of dollars, instead of to their

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AMERICAN CONVERSATION. 115

poBsesBors, the ceremony would have been quite as
interesting, and perhaps less troublesome.

The truth is, that in a population wholly devoted
to money-getting, the respect paid to wealth is so
pervadingly diffused, that it rarely occurred to any
one, that it was impossible I should feel the slightest
interest in the private circumstances of the gentle-
men with whom I might chance to form a transient
acquaintance. It is far from my intention, however,
to assert, that many of the travelled and more intel-
ligent order of Americans could be guilty of such
sottises as that to which I have alluded. But it is
unquestionably true, thatCthe tone of conversation,
even in the best circles, is materially lowered by the
degree in which it is engrossed by money and its
various interests.) Since my arrival, I have received
much involuntary instruction in the prices of corn,
cotton, and tobacco. I am already well informed as
to the reputed pecuniary resources of every gentle-
man of my acquaintance, and the annual amount of
his disbursements. My stock of information as to
bankruptcies and dividends is very respectable ; and
if the manufacturers of Glasgow and Paisley knew

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116 NEW YORK PARTIES*

only half as well as I do, how thoroughly the New
York market is glutted with their goods, they assu-
redly would send out no more on speculation.

The usual dinner hour at New York is three o'clock,
and as the gentlemen almost uniformly return to the
discharge of business in the evening, it may be pre-
sumed that dinner parties are neither convenient Uy
the entertainer nor the guests* Though not uncom-
mon, therefore, they are certainly less frequent than
among individuals of the same class in England.
This circumstance has, perhaps, wrought some
change in their character, and deprived them of that
appearance of easy and habitual hospitality, for the
absence of which, additional splendour or profusion-
can afford but imperfect compensation. When a
dinner party is given in this country, it is always on
a great scale. Earth, and air, and ocean, are ran-
sacked for their products. The whole habits of the
family are deranged. The usual period of the meal
is postponed for several hours ; and considering the
materials of which an American menage is compo-
sed, it is not difficult to conceive the bustle and con-
fusion participated by each member of the establish*

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NEW YORK PARTIES. 117

ment, from Peter, the saflron-coloured groom of the
chambers, to Silvia, the black kitchen wench*

In the ordinary routine, therefore^ of American
intercourse, visiting seldom commences till the even-
ing, when the wealthier members of the community
almost uniformly open their houses for the reception
of company. Of this hospitable arrangement I have
frequently taken advantage. On such occasions
little ceremony is observed. Each guest enters and
departs when he thinks proper, without apology or
explanation. Music and conversation are the usual
entertainments — some slight refection is handed
round, and before midnight the party has broken
up.

This facility of intercourse is both pleasant and
convenient to a stranger like myself. It affords
valuable opportunities for the observation of man-
ners; and it is pleasing to be admitted within the
charmed circle, which many of my predecessors
have found it difficult, if not impossible, to over-

The formalities of a New York dinner do not differ
much from those of an English one. Unfortunately^

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118 DINNER PARTIES.

it is not here the fashion to invite the fidrer part of
creation to entertainments so gross and substantial,
and it rarely happens that any ladies are present on
such occasions, except those belonging to the family
of the host* The party, however, is always enli-
vened by their presence at the tea-table, and then
comes music, and perhaps dancing, while those who,
like myself, are disqualified for active participation
in such festivities, talk with an air of grave autho-
rity, of revolutions in Europe, the prospects of war
or peace, Parliamentary Reform, and other high and
interesting matters.

Before dinger, the conversation of the company
assembled in the drawing-room is here, as elsewhere,
generally languid enough ; but a change suddenly
comes over the spirit of their dream : The folding-
doors which communicate with the dining-room are
thrown open, and all paradise is at once let in on the
soul of a gourmand. The table, instead of display-
ing, as with us, a mere beggarly account of fish and
soup, exhibits an array of dishes closely wedged in
triple column, which it would require at least an
acre of mahogany to deploy into line. Plate, it is

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DINNER PARTIES, 1 19

true^ does not contribute much to the splendour of
the prospect, bat there is quite enough for comfort,
though not perhaps for display. The lady of the
mansion is handed in form to her seat, and the enter-
tainment begins. The domestics, black, white, snuff-
coloured, and nankeen, are in motion ; plates vanish
and appear again as if by magic ; turtle, cold-blooded
by nature, has become hot as Sir Charles Wetherell,
and certainly never moved so rapidly before. The
flight of ham and turkey is unceasing; venison
bounds from one end of the table to the other, with
a velocity never exceeded in its native forest ; and
the energies of twenty human beings are all evidently
concentrated in one common occupation.

During soup and fish, and perhaps the first slice
of the haunch, conversation languishes, but a glass
or two of Champagne soon operates as a corrective.
The eyes of the young ladies become more brilliant,
and those of elderly gentlemen acquire a certain
benevolent twinkle, which indicates, that for the
time being they are in charity with themselves and
all mankind.

At length the first course is removed, and is suc-

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120 WINES^

ceeded by a whole wilderness of sweets. This, too,
passes, for it is impossible^ alas I to eat for ever*
Then come cheese and the dessert; then the departure
of the ladies ; and Claret and Madeira for an hour or
twain are unquestioned lords of the ascendant.

The latter is almost uniformly excellent* I have
never drank any Madeira in Europe at all^d^ualling
what I have frequently met in the United States.
Gourmets attribute this superiority partly to climate^
but in a great measure to management. Madeira, in
this country, is never kept as with us, in a subterra-
nean vault, where the temperature throughout the
year is nearly equal. It is placed in the attics, where
it is exposed to the whole fervour of the summer's
heat, and the severity of winter's cold. The effect
on the flavour of the wine is certainly remarkable.

The Claret is generally good, but not better than
in England ; Port is used by the natives only as a
medicine, and is rarely produced at table except in
compliment to some English stranger, it . being a
settled canon, here as elsewhere, that every English-
man drinks Port. I have never yet seen fine Sherry,.
1

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OBSERVATIONS ON MANNERS. 121

probably because that wine has not yet risen into
esteem in the United States.

The gentlemen in America pique themselves on
their discrimination in wine, in a degree which is
not common in England. The ladies have no sooner
risen from table, then the business of winebibbing
commences in good earnest. The servants still re-
main in the apartment, and supply fresh glasses to
the guests as the successive bottles make their ap-
pearance. To each of these a history is attached,
and the vintage, the date of importation, &c., are all
duly detailed ; then come the criticisms of the com-
pany, and as each bottle produced contains wine of
a different quality Arom its predecessor, there is no
chance of the topic being exhausted. At length,
having made the complete tour of the cellar, pro-
ceeding progressively from the commoner wines to
those of finest flavour, the party adjourns to the
drawing-room, and, after coffee, each guest takes his
departure without ceremony of any kind.

It would be most ungrateful were I not to declare,
that I have frequently found these dinner parties
extremely pleasant. I admit that there is a plain-

VOL. I. L n }

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122 OBSERVATIONS ON MANNERS*

ness and even ^bluntness in American manners,
somewhat startling at first to a sophisticated Euro-
pean. Questions are asked with regard to one's
habits, family, pursuits, connexions, and opinions,
which are never put in England, except in a wit-
ness box, after the ceremony of swearing on the
four Evangelists. But this is done with the most
perfect honhommie, and evidently without the small-
est conception, that such examination can possibly
be ofilensive to the patient. It is scarcely fair to
judge one nation by the conventional standard of
another ; and travellers who are tolerable enough of
the peculiarities of their continental neighbours,
ought in justice, perhaps, to make more allowance
than, they have yet done, for those of Brother Jona-
than. Such questions, no doubt, would be sheer
impertinence in an Englishman, because, in putting
them, he could not but be aware, that he was viola-
ting, the established courtesies of society. They are
not so in an American, because he has been brought
up with different ideas, and under a social regime
more tolerant of individual curiosity, than is held in
Europe to be compatible with good manners. Yet,

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OBSERVATIONS ON MANNERS. 128

after all, it must be owned, that it is not glways
pleasant, to feel yourself the object of a scrutiny,
often somewhat coarsely conducted, and generally
too apparent to be mistaken. I do assert, however,
that m nop«-iher country I have ever visited, are the
charities of life so readily and so profusely opened
to a stranger as in the United States. In no other
country will he receive attentions so perfectly disui-
terested and benevolent ; and in none, when he seeks
acquaintances, is it so probable that he will find
friends.

It has been often said, — ^indeed said so often as to
have passed into a popular apophthegm, that a strong
prejudice against Englishmen exists in America.
Looking back on the whole course of my experience
in that country, I now declare, that no assertion
more utterly adverse to truth, was ever palmed by
prejudice or ignorance, on vulgar credulity. That a
prejudice exists, I admit, but instead of being offainst
Englishmen, as compared with ihe natives of other
countries, it is a prejudice in their fivour. The
Americans do not weigh the merits of their foreign
visitors in an equal balance. They are only too apt

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124 FEELING TOWARDS THE ENGLISH.

to throw their own partialities into the scale of the
Englishman, and give it a preponderance to which
the claims of the individual have probably no pre-
tensions.

I beg, however, to be understood. Of the vast
multitude of English whom the extensive com-
mercial intercourse between the countries draws to
the United States, few, indeed, are persons of liberal
acquirement, or who have been accustomed to mix
in good society in their own country. Coming to
the United States on the pursuits of business, they
are, of course, left to the attentions of those gentle-
men with whom their professional relations bring
them more particularly in contact. Admitting, for
argument's sake, that all those persons were entirely
unexceptionable both in manners and morals, their
mere number, which is very great, would, in itself,
operate as an exclusion. That they are hospitably
received, I have no doubt, nor have I any that they
meet with every attention and facility which com-
mercial men can expect in a commercial commu-
nity.

But when an English gentleman, actuated by mo-

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HOSPITALITY TO STRANGERS. 125

tives of liberal curiosity, visits iheir country, he is
received in a different manner, and with very diflfer-
ent feeling. Once assured of his respectability, he
is admitted freely into society, and I again assert
that he will meet a benevolent interest in promoting
his views, which a traveller may in vain look for in
other countries. I should be wrong in saying, how-
ever, that all this takes place without some scrutiny.
Of whatever solecisms of deportment they are them-
selves guilty, the Americans are admirable, and,
perhaps, not very lenient, judges of manners in
others. They are quite aware of high breeding
when they see it, and draw conclusions with regard
to the pretensions of their guests from a thousand
small circumstances apparent only to very acute ob-
servation. With them vulgar audacity will not pass
for polished ease ; nor wUl fashionable exterior be
received for more than it is worth. I know of no
country in which an impostor would have a more
difficult game to play in the prosecution of his craft,
and should consider him an accomplished .deceiver,
were he able to escape detection amid observation so
vigilant and acute.

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126 MANNERS OF THE HIGHER CLASSES.

In admitting that the standard of manners in the
United States is somewhat lower than in England,
I wish to be understood as speaking exclusiyely of
the higher circles in the latter country. I am not
aware, that bating a few peenliarities, the manners
of the first-rate merchants of New York, are at all
inferior to those either of Liverpool or any other of
our great commercial cities* I am certain that they
are not inferior to any merchants in the world, in
extent of practical information, in liberality of sen-
timent, and generosity of character. Most of them
have been in England, and from actual observation
have formed notions of our national character and
advantages, very different from the crude and ig-
norant opinions, which, I must say, are entertained
by the great body of their countrymen. Were it
admissible to form general conclusions of the Ame-
rican character, from that of the best circle in the
greater Atlantic cities of the Union, the estimate
would be high indeed.

Unfortunately, however, the conclusions drawn
from premises so narrow, would be sadly erroneous.
The observations already made are applicable only

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MORALS OF THE TRADERS. 127

to a very small portion of the population, composed
almost entirely of the first-rate merchants and law-
yers. Beyond that, there is a sad change for the
worse. Neither in the manners nor in the mordls
of the great body of traders, is there much to draw
approbation from an impartial observer. Comparing
them with the same classes in England, one cannot
but be struck with a certain resolute and obtrusive
cupidity of gain, and a laxity of principle as to the
means of acquiring it, which I should be sorry to
believe formed any part of the character of my
countrymen. I have heard conduct praised in con-
versation at a public table, which in England would
be attended, if not with a voyage to Botany Bay, at
least with total loss of character. It is impossible
to pass an hour in the bar of the hotel, without be-
ing struck with the tone of callous selfishness which
pervades the conversation, and the absence of all
pretension to pure and lofty principle. The only
restraint upon these men is the law, and he is evi-
dently considered the most skilful in his vocation,
who contrives to overreach his neighbour, without
incurring its penalties.

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128 MORALS OF THE TRADERS.

It may probably be arged, that in drawing these
harsh concIusionB, I judge ignorantly, since, haying
no professional connexion with trade or traders, I
cannot be supposed to know from experience any
thing of the actual character of their commercial
transactions. To this I reply, that my judgment
has been formed on much higher grounds than the
experience of any individual could possibly afford. If
I am cheated in an affair of business, I can appeal but
to a single case of fraud. I can only assert, that a
circumstance has happened in America, which
might have happened in any country of Europe.
But when a man publicly confesses an act of fraud, ,
or applauds it in another, two conclusions are fairly
dedncible. First, that the narrator is a person
of little principle ; and, second, that he believes his
nudience to be no better than himself. Assuredly,
no man will confess any thing, which he imagines
ixiBjf by possibility, expose him to contempt; and
the legitimate deduction from such details extends
not only to the narrator of the anecdote, but to the
company who received it without sign of moral in-*
dignation.

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MORALS OF THE TRADERS. 129

It may be well, however, to explain, that the pre-
ceding observations have not been founded exclu-
sively on the population of New York. The com-
pany in a hotel, is generally composed of persons
from all States in the Union ; and it may be, that the
standard of probity is somewhat higher in this opu-
lent and commercial city, than in the poorer and
more remote settlements. For the last three weeks
I have been daily thrown into the company of about
an hundred individuals, fortuitously collected, A
considerable portion of these are daily changing, and
it is perhaps not too much to assume that, as a whole,
they afford a fair average specimen of their class.
Without, therefore, wishing to lead the reader to any
hasty or exaggerated conclusion, I must in candour
state, that the result of my observations has been to
lower considerably the high estimate I had formed of
the moral character of the American people.

Though I have unquestionably met in New
York with many most intelligent and accomplished
gentlemen, still I think the fact cannot be denied,
that the average of acquirement resulting from edu-
cation is a good deal lower in this country than in

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ISO INTELLECTUAL PECULIARITIES

the better circles of England. In all the knowledge
whieh must be taught, and which requires laborious
study for its attainment, I should say the Americans
are considerably inferior to my countrjrmen. In that
knowledge, on the oth^ hand, which the individual
acquires for himself by actual observation, which
bears an immediate marketable value, and is directly
available in the ordinary avocations of life, I do not
imagine the Americans are excelled by any people in
the world. They are consequently better fitted for
analytic than synthetic reasoning. In the former
process they are frequently successful. In the latter,
their failure sometimes approaches to the ludicrous.
Another result of this condition of intelligence is,
that the tone even of the best conversation is pitched
in a lower key than in England. The speakers
evidently presume on an inferior degree of acquire-
ment in their audience, and frequently deem it
necessary to advance deliberate proof of matters,
which in the old country would be taken for granted.
Tliere is certainly less of what may be called floating
intellect in conversation. First principles are labori-
ously established, and long trains of reasoning termi«9

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OF THE AMERICANS. 131

nate, not in paradox, but in commonplace. In Bbort,
whatever it is the obvious and immediate interest of
Americans to know, is fully understood. Whatever
is available rather in the general elevation of the in*
tellect^ than in the promotion of individual ambition,
engrosses but a small share of the public attention.

In the United States one is struck with the fact,
that there exist certain doctrines and opinions which
have descended like heirlooms from generation to
generation, and seem to form the subject of a sort of
national entail, most felicitously contrived to check
the natural tendency to intellectual advancement in
the inheritors. The sons succeed to these opinions
of their father, precisely as they do to his silver sal-
vers, or gold-headed cane ; and thus do certain dog-
mas, political and religions, gradually acquire a sort
of prescriptive authority, and continue to be handed
down, nnsubjected to the test of philosophical exami-
nation. It is at least partially attributable to this
cause, that the Americans are given to deal somewhat
too extensively in broad and sweeping aphorisms. The
most difficult problems of legislation are here treated
as matters on which it were an insult on the under-
Digitized by VjOOQIC

132 HEREDITARY OPINIONS.

9tanding of a schoolboy, to suppose that he could
entertain a doubt. Enquire their reasons for the
inbred faith, of which they are the dark though vehe-
ment apostles, and you get nothing but a few shallow
truisms, which absolutely afford no footing for the
conclusions they are brought forward to establish.
The Americans seem to imagine themselves imbued
with the power oi feeling truth, or, rather, of get-
ting at it by intuition, for by no other process can I
yet discover that they attempt its attainment. With
the commoner and more vulgar truths, indeed, I
should almost pronounce them too plentifully stock-
ed, since in these, they seem to imagine, is contained
the whole valuable essence of human knowledge. It is
unquestionable, that this character of mind is most
unfavourable to national advancement; yet it is too
prominent not to find a place among the features
which distinguish the American intellect from that
of any other people with whom it has been my for-
tune to become acquainted.

To-morrow it is my intention to proceed to
Boston ; I shall leave the public establishments, &c.

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INTENTION OF DEPARTURE. 133

of New York unvisited tOl my return ; being anxious,
during the first period of my residence, to confine
my attention to the more prominent and general fea-
tures which distinguish this interesting community.

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184 EMBARK FOR PROVIDENCB.

CHAPTER VL

VOYAGE — PROVIDENCE — ^BOSTON.

At four o'clock, p.m. on the 8th of Decemher, I
embarked on board the steam-boat Chancellor Li-
vingstone, and in a few minutes the vessel was un-
der weigh. Her course lay up the East River, and
along the channel which divides Long Island from
the mainland. I had heard much of a certain dan-
gerous strait, called Hell Gate, formed by the pro*
jection of huge masses of rock, which obstruct the
passage of the river, and diverting the natural course
of the current, send its waters spinning round in
formidable eddies and whirlpools. At high water —
as it happened to be when we passed it — this said
portal had no very frightful aspect. The stream was
rapid, to be sure, but a double engine of ninety horse

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VOYAGE TO PROVIDENCE. 135

power was more than a match for it ; and the Chan-
cellor, in spite of its terrors, held on his course
rejoicing, with little apparent diminution of vdio-
city. Vessels, however, have been wrecked here,
and a canal is spoken of, by which its dangers may
be avoided.

The accommodations on board were such, as to
leave the most querulous traveller no excuse for
grumbling. The cabin, to be sure, with two huge
red-hot stoves in it, was of a temperature which a
salamander must have admired exceedingly, but the
atmosphere, composed of the discarded breath of
about an hundred passengers, still retaineda sufficient
portion of oxygen to support life. The hour of tea
came, and all the appetite on board was mustered on
the occasion. The meal passed speedily as heart could
desire ; but the mingled odour of fish, onions, and
grease, was somewhat more permanent. Whether
it improved the atmosphere, or not, is a point which
I could not settle to my own satisfaction at the time,
and must now, I fear, remain for ever undecided.

It was impossible, in such circumstances, to think
of bed. The very thought of blankets was distreas-

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136 COMPANY ON BOARD.

ing. I had no book ; and as for conversation, I could
hear none in which I was at all qualified to bear a
part. I therefore ordered my writing-box, adjusted
a new Bramah, and of the words that flowed from
it, he that has read the preceding pages is already in

If I wrote in bad humour there was really som«
excuse for it. Close to my right were two loud po-
lemics, engaged in fierce dispute on the Tari£f bill. On
my left was an elderly gentleman, without shoes or
slippers, whose cough and expectoration were some-
what less melodious than the music of the spheres.
In the berth immediately behind, lay a passenger^
whose loud snoring proclaimed him as happy as a
complete oblivion of all worldly cares could make
him. Right opposite was a gentleman without
breeches, who, before jumping into bed, was detail-
ing to a friend the particulars of a lucky hit he had
just made in a speculation in train .oil. And beside
me, at the table,' sat a Baptist clergyman, reading,
sotto voce, a chapter of Ezekiel, and casting, at the
conclusion of each verse, a glance of furtive curio-
sity at my paper.

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ANNOYANCES. 137

It may be admitted, that such are not the items
which go to the compounding of a paradise. But
the enjoyment of travelling, like other pleasures,
must be purchased at some little expense ; and he
whose good- humour can be ruffled by every petty
inconvenience he may chance to encounter, had
unquestionably better remain at home. For my*
self, I beg it therefore to be understood, that in
detailing the petty and transient annoyances con*
nected with my journey, I do so, not as matters by
which my tranquillity was materially affected, but
as delineations naturally belonging to a picture of
society, and without which it would be incomplete.
A tourist in the United States, will find no occasion
for the ardour, the perseverance, or the iron consti-
tution of a Lander ; and yet he will do well to re-
member, that travellers, like players at bowls, mast
occasionally expect rubbers.

But I have dw^lt too much on the disagreeables
of the voyage, without giving the per contra side of
the account. There was a fair breeze and a smooth
sea; and an Irish steward, who was particularly
active in my behalf, and made my berth very com-

VOL. I. M

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138 IRISH STEWARD.

fortable, by the fraudulent abstraction of sundry pil-
lows from those of my American neighbours* This
he has done — he told my servant so— because I am
from the old country ; and yet one would suppose,
that on such a man the claim of mere national affi-
nity could have little influence. I talked a good deal
with him about his former circumstances, and soon
collected, that what is called livinff in Ireland, is
usually entitled starving in other countries. Though
rather chary of confession, I gathered, too, that the
world was not his friend, nor the world's laws, and
that he came to the United States to avoid a gaol,
and without a shilling in his pocket. The day on
which he left Ireland should be marked in his annals
with a white stone. He now enjoys a comfortable
situation — confesses he can save money; eats and
drinks well ; is encased in warm clothing; is troubled
very little with the tax-gatherer, and not at all with
the tithe-proctor. And what is there in the counte-
nance of an Englishman, that it should excite in such
a man the feeling of benevolence and kindred ? In his
memory, one would suppose, the past would be linked
only with suffering, while the present is undoulM^dly

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HIS ATTACHMENT TO HIS COUNTRY. X39

associated with tbe experience of a thousand com-
forts, to which, in his days of vassalage and white*
boyism, his imagination never ventured to soar.
Yet, believe the man, and he regrets having left
home ! He thinks he could have done as well in
Ireland. He has no fault to find with America — ^it
is a good country, enough for a poor man. Whisky
is cheaper here, and so is bread and mate ; but then
his ould mother, — and his sisters, — ^and Tim Regan,
he would like to see them again ; and, please God,
if he ever can afford it, he will return, and have his
bones laid in the same churchyard with theirs.

But if Pat ever get back to Ireland, I venture to
prophesy that his stay will not be long there. At
present, his former privations are more than half-
forgotten ; but let him once again encounter them,
and the difference between the country of his birth
and that of his adoption, will become more apparent
than argument could now make it. On the whole,
it was pleasing to observe, that while time and dis-
tance obliterate the misfortunes of life, their tend-
ency is to strengthen its charities.

On the following morning, about eleven o'clock,

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140 ARRIVAL AT PROVIDENCE,

we reached Providence, and found eight or ten stage-
coaches waiting on the quay to convey the passen-
gers to Boston. Though I carried letters of intro-
duction to several gentlemen in Providence, it had
not heen my intention to remain there, and I had
accordingly, before landing, secured places in one of
these vehicles. But in the hurry and bustle of
scrambling for seats and coaches, and with the sight
of eight large human beings already cooped up in
that by which I must have travelled, I began to
waver in my resolution, and at length resolved to
sacrifice the money I had paid, and take the chances
of better accommodation, and a more agreeable party,
on the day following. Besides, the weather was raw
and gusty, and I had been drenched from the knee
downward in wading through the masses of half-
melted snow, which covered the landing-place. The
idea, therefore, of a comfortable Providence hotel,
naturally found more favour in my imagination,
than an eight hours' journey to Boston, in such
weather, such company, and such conveyance as I
could reasonably anticipate.

On reaching the hostelry, however, its external ap-

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PROVIDENCE HOTEL. 141

pearance was far from captivating. There was no sign*
board, nor did the house display any external symbol
of the hospitality within. Below was a range of
shops, and the only approach was by a narrow stair,
which might have passed for clean in Rome, but
would have been considered dirty in England. On
entering, I stood for some time in the passage, and
though I enquired at several members of the esta-
blishment, who brushed past me, whether I could
have accommodation, no answer was vouchsafed. At
length, advancing to the bar, I observed the land-
lord, who was evidently too busily engaged in mix-
ing brandy and water for a party of smokers, to have
any attention to bestow on a stranger like myself. I,
therefore, addressed a woman whom I observed to
look towards me with something of cold enquiry in
her expression, and again begged to know whether I
could be accommodated for the night. The ques-
tion was not more fortunate than its predecessors
in drawing forth a response, nor was it till some
minutes had elapsed, that, during a fortunate inter-
mission of the demand for spirits, my enquiries were
at length attended to, and satisfactorily answered.

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14S APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN.

Matters now went on more promisingly. I found
that I could not only be supplied, with every thing
within the scope of reasonable expectation, but with
a luxury I had not ventured to anticipate, — a private
parlour, communicating with a very comfortable
bed-room, and accompanied witliAhe privilege of
commanding my own hours.

Having changed my dress, and given a few direc-
tions about dinner, I sallied forth to view the city.
Providence is the capital of the State of Rhode
Island, and contains about 25,000 inhabitants. It
stands at the foot and on the brow of a hill, which
commands a complete view of the fine bay. The
great majority of the houses are built of wood, inter-
spersed, however, with tenements of brick, and a few
which are at least fronted with stone, lit contains
considerable cotton manufactories, which — 'boasting
no knowledge of such matters — I was not tempted
to visit. ) The college appears a building of some
extent, and is finely situated on the summit of a
neighbouring height. The roads were so obstructed
by snow, as to render climbing the ascent a matter
of more difficulty than I was in the humour to en-

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FIRST SETTLEMENT OF PROVIDENCE. 143

oounter ; and so it was decreed, that Brown's College
should remain by me unvisited.

The first settlement of Proyidence is connected
with a melancholy instance of human inconsistency.
The Pilgrim Fathers, as they are called, had left
their country, to find in the wilds of the New World
that religious toleration which had been denied them
in the Old. But no sooner had these victims of per-
secution established themselves in New England)
than, in direct and flagrant violation, not only of all
moral consistency, but of the whole scope and spirit
of the Christian religion, they became persecutors in
their turn. Socinians and Quakers, — all, in short,
who differed from them in opinion, were driven forth
with outrage and violence. Among the number was
Roger Williams, a Puritan clergyman, who ventured
to expose what he considered ^^ evidence of backsli-
ding" in the churches of Massachusetts. The clergy
at first endeavoured to put him down by argument
and remonstrance ; the attempt failed, and it was
then determined that the civil authority should free
the orthodox population from the dangerous presence
of so able and sturdy a polemic, R<^er Williams

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144 fiUlLDlNGS IK m^OVIDENCC/

WAS banished, and, followed by a few of his people,
continued to wander in the wilderness, till, coming
to a place csdled by the Indians Mooshausic^ he
there pitched his tabernacle, and named it Provi-
dence.

Such are a few of the circumstances connected
with the first establishment of the State of Rhode
Island. The light in which they exhibit human
nature is not flattering; yet they only afford another
proof, if such were wanted, of the natural connexion
between bigotry and persecution, and that the vic-
tims of political or religions oppression, too often
want only the power to become its ministers.

The only building which makes any pretension to
architectural display is the arcade, faced at either
extremity with an Ionic portico. Judging by the
eye, the shaft of the columns is in the proportion of
the Grecian Doric, an order beautiful in itself, but
which, of course, is utterly barbarized by an Ionic
entablature. By the way, I know not any thing in
which the absence of taste in America is more sig-
nally displayed than in their architecture. The coun-
try residences of the wealthier citizens are generally

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ARCHITECTURE. 145

adorned with pillars, which often extend from the
basement to the very top of the house, (some three
or four stories,) supporting, and pretending to sup-
port, nothing. The consequence is, that the pro-
portions of these columns are very much those of
the stalk of a tobacco-pipe, and it is difficult to con-
ceive any thing more unsightly. Even in the pub-
lic buildings, there is often an obtrusive disregard
of every recognised principle of proportion, and cla-
morous demands are made on the admiration of fo-
reigners, in behalf of buildings which it is impos-
sible to look upon without instant and unhesitating
condemnation.

In a seaport one generally takes a glance at the
harbour, to draw some conclusions, however uncer-
tain, with regard to the traffic of the place. The
guide-books declare, that Providence has a good deal
of foreign commerce. It may be so, but in the bay
I could only count two square-rigged vessels, and
something under a score of sloops and schooners.

I must not forget to mention, having witnessed to-
day the progress of an operation somewhat singular
VOL. I. N

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146 RAISING A HOUSE.

in character. This was nothing less than raising a
large tenement, for the purpose of introducing another
story below. The building was of frame- work, with
chimneys of brick, and consisted of two houses con-
nected by the gable. The lower part of one was occu-
pied as a warehouse, which seemed well filled with
casks and cotton-bags. I stood for some time to ob-
serve the progress of the work. The process adopted
was this : The building was first raised by means of a
succession of wedges inserted below the foundation.
Haying thus gained the requisite elevation, it was
maintained there by supports at each corner, and
by means of screws pressing laterally on the tim-
bers. At the time I saw it, the building had been
raised about five feet into the air, and the only
mode of ingress or egress was by ladders. On look-
ing with some curiosity at the windows, I soon ga-
thered enough to convince me that the inhabitants
were engi^ed in their usual domestic avocations,
without being at all disturbed by their novel posi-
tion in the atmosphere. As for the warehouse, the
business of buying and selling had apparently en-
countered no interruption. On the whole, the ope-

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DINNER AT THE HOTEL. 147

ration, though simple, struck me as displaying a
very considerable degree of mechanical ingenuity.

Having finished my ramble, I returned to the inn,
where a very tolerable dinner awaited my appear-
ance. It was the first time I had dined alone since
leaving England, and, like my countrymen gene-
rally, I am disposed to attach considerable import-
ance to the privilege of choosing my dinner, and the
hour of eating it. It is only when alone that one en-
joys the satisfaction of feeling that he is a distinct
unit in creation, a being totus, teres, atque totandus*
At a public ordinary he is but a fraction, a decimal at
most, but very probably a centesimal of a huge mas-
ticating monster, with the appetite of a Mastodon
or a Behemoth. He labours under the conviction,
that his meal has lost in dignity what it has gained
in profusion. He is consorted involuntarily with
people to whom he is bound by no tie but that of
lempoi^ry necessity, and with whom, except the
immediate impulse of brutal appetite, he has proba-
bly nothiiig in common. A man, like an Ameri-
can, thus diurnally mortified and abased from his
youth upwards, of course knows nothing of the high

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148 ADVANTAGE OF SOLITARY MEALS.

thoughts which visit the imagination of the solitary,
who, having finished a good dinner, reposes with a full
consciousness of the dignity of his nature, and the
high destinies to which he is called. The situation
is one which naturally stimulates the whole inert
mass of his speculative benevolence. He is at peace
with all mankind, for lie reclines on a well-stuffed
sofa, and there ai*e wine and walnuts on the table.
He is on the best terms with himself, and recalls his
own achievements in arms, literature, or philoso*
phy, in a spirit of the most benign complacency. If
he look to the future, the prospect is bright and
unclouded. If he revert to the past, its " written
troubles," its failures and misfortunes, are erased
from the volume, and his memories are exclusively
those of gratified power. He is in his slippers, and
comfortable robe^de-chambre^ and whs^t to him, at
such a moment, are the world and its ambitions?
I appeal to the philosopher, and he answers — No-
thing !

It was in such condition of enjoyment, physical
and intellectual, that I was interrupted by the en-
trance of my servant, to inform me that he had just

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RENCONTHE WITH CAPTAIN BENNET. 149

met Captain Bennet on the stair, who, learning that
I was at dinner, had obligingly expressed his inten-
tion of favouring me with a visit at the conclusion
of my meal. I immediately returned assurance,
that nothing could afford me greater pleasure ; and
in a few minutes I had the satisfaction of exchan-
ging a friendly grasp with this kind and intelligent
sailor. In the course of our tite-d-t^te^ he informed me
that he was travelling from his native town. New
Bedford, to Boston, in company with Mrs Bennet,
to whom he was good enough to offer me the privi-
lege of an introduction. I accordingly accompanied
the Captain to his apartment, where I passed a plea-
sant evening, and retired, gratified by the intelli-
gence that they were to proceed on the following
morning by the same vehicle in which I had already
secured places. To travel with Captain Bennet was,
in truth, not only a pleasure, but an advantage, for
being a New Englander, he was enabled, in the
course of our journey, to communicate many parti-
culars with regard to his native province, which,
though most useful in directing the opinions of a

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150 AMBRICAN STAGE-COACH.

traveller, could scarcely, perhaps, have fallen within
the immediate sphere of his ohservations.

On the following morning we were afoot betimes,
and after a tolerable breakfast at a most unchristian
hour, left Providence at seven o'clock, and I enjoyed
my first introduction to an American stage-coach.
Though what an Englishman accustomed to the
luxuries of ^* light-post coaches," and Macadamised
roads, might not unreasonably consider a wretched
vehicle, the one in question was not so utterly abo-
minable as to leave a Frenchman or an Italian any
fair cause of complaint. It was of ponderous pro-
portions, built with timbers, I should think about the
size of those of an ordinary waggon, and was attach-
ed by enormous straps to certain massive irons,
which nothing in the motion of the carriage could
induce the traveller to mistake for sprinffs. The sides
of this carriage were simply curtains of leather,
which, when the heat of the weather is inconve-
nient, can be raised to admit a freer ventilation. In
winter, however, the advantages of this contrivance
are more than apocryphal. The wind penetrates
through an hundred small crevices, and with the

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AMERICAN STAGE-COACH. 151

thermometer below zero, this freedom of eirculation
is found not to add materially to the pleasures of a
journey. The complement of passengers inside was
nine, divided into three rows, the middle seat being
furnished with a strap, removable at pleasure, as a
back support to the sitters. The driver also receives
a companion on the box, and the charge for this
place is the same as for those in the interior* The
whole machine indeed was exceedingly clumsy,
yet perhaps not more so, than was rendered neces-
sary by the barbarous condition of the road on
which it travelled. The horses, though not hand-
some, were strong, and apparently well adapted for
their work, yet I could not help smiling, as I thought
of the impression the whole set out would be likely to
produce on an English road. The flight of an air
balloon would create far less sensation. If exhibited
as a specimen of a fossil carriage, buried since the
Deluge, and lately discovered by Professor Buckland,
it might pass without question as the family- coach in
which Noah conveyed his establishment to the ark.
Then th^ Jehu ! A man in rusty black, with the
appearance of a retired grave-digger. Never was

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152 JOURNEY TO BOSTON.

such a coachman seen within the limits of the four
seas.

Though the distance is only forty miles, we were
eight hours in getting to Boston. The road, I
remember to have set down at the time, as the very
worst in the world, an opinion, which my subse-
quent experience as a traveller in the United States,
has long since induced me to retract. It abounded
in deep ruts, and huge stones which a little exercise
of the hammer might have converted into excellent
material. English readers may smUe when one talks
seriously of the punishment of being jolted in a stage-
coach, but to arrive at the end of a journey with
bruised flesh and aching bones, is, on the whole, not
particularly pleasant. For myselF, I can truly say,
that remembering all I have occasionally endured in
the matter of locomotion on the American continent,
the martyr to similar sufferings shall always enjoy
my sincere sympathy. On the present occasion, to
say nothing of lateral concussion, twenty times at
least was I pitched up with violence against the roof
of the coach, which, being as ill provided with stuf-
fing as the cushions below, occasioned a few changes

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PAWTUCKET. 153

in my phrenological developements. One of the
passengers^ however, — a grave valetudinarian-
assured me, that such unpleasant exercise was an
admirable cure for dyspepsy, and that when suffer-
ing under its attacks, he found an unfailing remedy
in being jolted over some forty or fifty miles of such
roads as that we now travelled. At the moment, I
certainly felt more inclined to pity him for the
remedy than the disease.

There had been thaw during the night, and the
greater part of the snow had disappeared. The
country through which we passed was prettily va-
ried in surface, but the soil was poor and stony, and
the extent to which wood had been suffered to grow
on land formerly subjected to the plough, showed it
had not been found to repay the cost of tillage.
About four miles from Providence, we passed the
village of Pawtucket. It is one of the chief seats of
the cotton manufacture in the United States. The
aspect of the place was not unpleasing, and I count-
ed about a dozen factories of considerable size. The
houses of the workmen had a clean and comfortable
appearance. I was informed, however, by my fellow-
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154 CONVERSATION IN THE COACH.

travellers, that^ within the last eighteen months,
every establishment in the place had become bank-
rupt; a proof, I should imagine, that the success of
the Tariff system has not been very brilliant.

During our journey there was a good deal of con-
versation in the coach, in which, I was physically too
uneasy to bear any considerable part. I was amused,
however, at the astonishment of a young Connecti-
cut farmer, when Captain Bennet informed him,
that in England, the white birch-tree — which, in this
part of the world, is regarded as a noxious weed—- is
protected in artificial plantations with great care.
He was evidently incredulous, though he had before
made no difficulty in believing the numerous absur-
dities, in law, polity, and manners attributed, whe-
ther with truth or otherwise, to my countrymen.
But to plant the white birch-tree ! This, indeed, was
beyond the limits of belief.

The road, as we approached Boston, lay through
a more populous country, and we passed a height,
which commanded a fine view of the bay. At length,
entering on a loog street, I found myself again sur-
rounded by the biray hum of a great city. The first

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ARRIVAL AT BOSTON. 155

impreBsion was decidedly favourable. There is in
Boston less of that rawness of outline, and ineonsis-
tency of architecture, which had struck me in New
York. The truth is, that the latter has increased so
rapidly, that nine-tenths of the city have been built
within the last thirty years, and probably one half of
it within a third of the period. In Boston, both
wealth and population have advanced at a slower
pace. A comparatively small portion of the city is
new, and the hand of time has somewhat mellowed
even its deformities, contributing to render that reve-
rend which was originally rude.

There is an air of gravity and solidity about Bos*
ton ; and nothing gay or flashy, in the appearance of
her streets, or the crowd who frequent them. New
York is a young giantess, weighiog twenty stone, and
yet frisky withal. Boston, a matron of stayed and
demure air, a little past her prime perhaps, yet
showing no symptom of decay. The former is
brisk, bustling, and annually outgrowing her petti-
coats. The latter, fat, fair, and forty, a great
breeder, but turning her children out of doors, as
fast as she produces them. But it is an old and true

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J

156 TREMONT HOTEL*

apophthegnii that similes seldom run on all foars^
and therefore it is generally prudent not to push
them too far.

Most gratifying is it to a traveller in the United
States, when, sick to death of the discomforts of the
road, he finds himself fairly housed in the Tremont
Hotel. The establishment is on a large scale, and
admirably conducted. I had no difficulty in procu-
ring a small but very comfortable suite of apartments,
deficient in nothing which a single gentleman could
require. What is more, I enjoyed the blessing of
rational liberty, had command of my own hours and
motions, in short, could eat, drink, or sleep, at what
time, in what manner, and on what substances I
might prefer.

The truth is, that instead of being free, a large
proportion of the American people live in a state of
the most degrading bondage. No liberty of tongue
can compensate for vassalage of stomach. In their
own houses, perhaps, they may do as they please,
though I much doubt whether any servants would
consent to live in a family who adopted the barbarous
innovation of dining at six o'clock, and breakfast*

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SLAVERY OF AMERICANS. 157

ing at eleven. But on the road, and in their hotels,
they are assuredly any thing but freemen. Their
hours of rest and refection are there dictated by
Boniface, the most rigorous and iron-hearted of des-
pots. And surely never was monarch blessed with
more patient and obedient subjects ! He feeds them
in droves like cattle. He rings a bell, and they
come like dogs at their master's whistle. He places
before them what he thinks proper, and they swal-
low it without grumbling. His decrees are as those
of fate, and the motto of his establishment is, << Sub-
mit or starve."

No man should travel in the United States with-
out one of Baraud's best chronometers in his fob.
In no other country can a slight miscalculation of
time be productive of so much mischief. Woe to him
whose steps have been delayed by pleasure or busi-
ness, till the fatal hour has elapsed, and the dinner-
cloth been removed. If he calculate on the emana-
tion from the kitchen of smoking chop or spatchcock,
he will be grievously deceived. Let him not look
with contempt on half-coagulated soup, or fragments
of cold fish, or the rhomboid of greasy pork, which

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158 APPEARANCE OF BOSTON.

has been reclaimed from the 8toek*barrel for his be-
hoof. Let him accept in meekness what is set before
him, or be content to go dinnerless for the day. Such
are the horns of the dilemma, and he is free as air
to choose on which he will be impaled.*

On the morning following my arrival, I despatch*
ed my letters of introduction, and walked out to see
the city. Of its appearance, I have already said
something, but have yet a little more to say. Boston
stands on an undulating surface, and is surrounded

* It is fair, however, to state, that in the hotels in the greater
cities, private apartments can generally he obtained. The charge for
these is about as high as in London, and the privilege of separate
meals is also to he paid for. To give the reader some idea of the
expense of such mode of living in the United States, I may state,
that in New York, with nothing but an inferior bedroom, and living
at the public table, the charge for myself and servant was eighteen
dollars a-week. At Boston, with three excellent rooms, and the
privilege of private meals, it amounted, including every thing except
wine, to thirty-five. At Philadelphia, I paid twenty-six dollars ; at
Baltimore, twenty- eight ; at Washington, forty ; the extent of ac-
oommodation nearly equal in all.

It is the invariable custom in the United States to charge by the
day or week ; and travellers are thus obliged to pay for meals whe-
ther they eat them or not. For a person who, like myself, rarely
dined at home, I remember calculating the charge to be higher than
in Long's, or the Clarendon.

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THE STATE-HOUSE. 169

on three sides by the sea. The harbour Is a magni-
ficent basin, encircled by a beautiful country, rising
in gentle acclivities, and studded with villas. There
is nothing very handsome about the town, which is
rather English in appearance, and might in truth be
easily mistaken for one of our more populous sea-
ports. A considerable number of the buildings are
of granite, or, more properly speaking, of sienite,
but brick is the prevailing material, and houses of
framework are now rarely to be met with in the
streets inhabited by the better orders. The streets
are narrow, and often crooked, yet, as already stated,
they exhibit more finish and cleanliness than are to
be found in New York. In architecture, I could
discover little to admire. The State-house stands
on an eminence commanding the city ; it is a massive
square building, presenting in front a piazza of rus-
ticated arches, surmounted by a gratuitous range of
Corinthian columns, which support nothing. The
building in front has a small attic with a pediment,
and from the centre rises a dome, the summit of
which is crowned by a square lantern.

The Trembnt hotel, and a church in the same

Digitized by VjOOQIC

160 king's chapel.

street, axe likewise pointed out to strangers as worthy
of all the spare admiration at their disposal. The
latter is a plain building, rather absurdly garnished,
along its whole front, with a row of Ionic colamns,
stuck in close to the wall, which they are far from
concealing; and, to increase the deformity, above
these columns rises a naked square tower, intended,
I presume, for a belfry.

An anecdote connected with this place of worship,
however, is worth preserving : It was formerly called
the King^s Chapel, and jbelonged to a congregation
holding the tenets of the Church of England. In
this state of things a rich old gentleman died, be-
queathing, by his last testament, a considerable sum,
to be expended in defraying the charge of a certain
number of annual discourses ^^ on the Trinity." The
testator having lived and died in the communion of
the Church of England, of course no doubt could be
entertained of his intention in the bequest ; but the
revolution took place, and, at the restoration of
peace, the congregation of the King's Chapel were
found to have cast off both king and creed, and be-
come not only Republicans in politics, but TJnita-

6

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ARCHITECTURE. 161

rians in religion* Under these eircumstances/'what
was to be done with the legacy ? This did not long
reniain a moot point. It was discovered that an
Unitarian could preach sermons on the Trinity as
well as the most orthodox Athanasian that ever
mounted a pulpit ; and the effect of the testator'^
zeal for the diffusion of pure faith, has been to en-
courage the dissemination of doctrines, which of
course he regarded as false and damnable \) The old
gentleman had better have left his money to his re-
lations.

I have been too well satisfied with the good living
of the Tremont hotel, not to feel grieved to be com-
pelled to speak disparagingly of its architecture. I
beg to say, however, that I allude to it only because
I have heard its construction gravely praised by men
of talent and intelligence, as one of the proudest
achievements of American genius. The edifice is of
fine sienite, and I imagine few parts of the world can
supply a more beautiful material for building. In
front is a Doric portico of four columns, accurately
proportioned, but, as usual, without pediment. These
have not sufficient projection, and seem as if they

VOL. I. o

Digitized by VjOOQIC

162 LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION.

had been thrufit back upon the walls of the building
by the force of Bome gigantic steam-engine. The
dining-hall, which is here the chief object of admi-
ration, is defective, both in point of taste and pro-
portion. The ceiling, in the first place, is too low ;
and then the ranges of Ionic columns, which extend
the whole length of the apartment, are mingled
with Antae of the Composite order ; thus defacing,
by the intermixture of a late Roman barbarism, the
purer taste of Greece. But it were mere waste of
time and patience to enlarge on such matters.

My letters of introduction soon fructified into a
plentiful harvest of visits and invitations. I dis-
cerned, or thought I discerned, some difference of
manner between the gentlemen of Boston and those
of New York. For the first five minutes, perhaps,
the former seemed less pleasing, but my opinion in
this respect soon changed, and I certainly now class
many of my Boston friends, not only among the
most liberal and enlightened, but among the most
agreeable men, I had the good fortune to encounter
in my tour.

My first visit was to a club, . not professedly lite-

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DIVINE SERVICE. 163

rairy, but which iiumbered among its members many
of the most eminent individuals of the State. No-
thing could exceed the kindness of my reception.
Several gentlemen, on learning my objects in visiting
their city, obligingly professed their readiness to pro-
mote them by every means in their power, and I
soon found that hospitality to strangers waa by no
means an exclusive attribute of New York.

The day following being Sunday, I attended morn-
ing service in one of the Episcopal churches. It
was performed with great propriety to a congrega-
tion generally composed of the better orders. In the
evening I accompanied an amiable family to a church,
of which the celebrated Dr Channing is the pastor.
The Doctor, I learned, was then at Havannah,
where he had accompanied Mrs Channing, whose
health re<|uired a milder winter climate than that
of New England. The tenets of the congregation
are Unitarian, and the service is that of the Church
of England, with the omission of all expressions
which attribute divinity to our Saviour. Yet this,
if not asserted, is not denied. It seems to have
been the object to establish a service in which all

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164 UNITARIANISM.

sects and classes of Christians may conscientiously
joip, and which affirms nothing in regard to those
points which afford matter of controversy to Theolo-
gians.

Though the intentions of the framers of this ser-
vice were obviously good, I am not sure that they
have been guided by very just or philosophical views
of the infirmities of human nature. The great bene-
fit to be derived from public worship, is connected
with the feeling of fellowship with those by whom
we are surrounded, and that diffusive sentiment of
charity and brotherhood, arising from community of
faith. In the presence of God it is indeed proper
that all minor differences should be forgotten ; but
when these differences extend beyond a certain limit,
and embrace the more sacred points of belief, I can
understand no benefit which can arise from the com-
mon adoption of a liturgy so mutilated, as to exclude
all expression of that faith and those doctrines, which
Christians in general regard as the very keystone of
their hope. The value of prayer, prrhnps^ consists
less in any influence it can be supposed to have on
the decrees of an eternal and immutable Being, than

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UNITARIAN SERVICE. 165

in that which it exercises over the heart and feelings
of the worshipper. To exert this influence, it must
be felt to be appropriate to our individual wants and
necessities. It must not deal in vague generalities,
nor petition only for those blessings in which the great
body of mankind possess an equal interest. Like
itiaterial objects, the human feelings become uniform-
ly weakened by extension. We cannot pray for the
whole of our species with the same earnestness that
we petition for the prosperity of our country, and
our supplications in behalf of our family are yet
more ardent. There is a gradation of fervour for
each link of the chain as it approaches nearer to our-
selves, and it is only, perhaps, in imploring mercy
for some one individual, that our feelings reach
their climax of intensity. I have no faith in the
efficacy of a system of devotion founded on the ab-
stract principles of philosophy. The religious wor-
ship of mankind must be accommodated to their
infirmities. The prayer which is adapted to all sects
can evidently express the faith or sentiments of none.
The liturgy was plainly, but efifectively, read by
the Rev. Mr Greenwood, whom I had the pleasure

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166 CAUSES OF THE PREVALENCE

of ranking among my acquaintance. The sermon
was elegant, but somewhat cold and unemphatic.
Indeed, how could it be otherwise ? An Unitarian i6
necessarily cut o£f from all appeals to those deeper
sources of feeling, which, in what is called Evange-
lical preaching, are found to produce such powerful
effects. No spirit was ever strongly moved by a
discourse on the innate beauty of virtue, or argu-
ments in favour of moral purity drawn from the har-
mony of the external world. The inference that
man should pray, because the trees blossom and the
birds sing, is about as little cogent in theory as the
experience of mankind has proved it in practice.
The sequitur would be quite as good^ were it asserted
that men should wear spectacles because bears eat
horse-flesh, and ostriches lay eggs in the ssmd. But,
admitting the conclusion to be clear as the daylight,
the disease \)f human depravity is too strong to be
overcome by the administration of such gentle alter-
atives. Recourse must be had to stronger medi-
cines, and these, unfortunately, the chest of the
Unitarian does not furnish.
Boston is the metropolis of Unitarianism. In no

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' OF UNITAEIANISM IN BOSTON. 16T

other city has it taken root so deeply, or spread its
branches so widely. Fully half of the population,
and more than half of the wealth and intelligence of
Boston, are found in this communion. I was at one
time puzzled to account for this ; but my journey to
New England has removed the difficulty. The New
Eoglanders are a cold, shrewd, calculating, and in-
genious people, of phlegmatic temperament, and per-
haps have in their composition less of the stuff of
which enthusiasts are made, than any other in the
world. In no other part of the globe, not even in
Scotland, is morality at so high a premium. No-
where is undeyiatiug compliance with public opi-
nion so unsparingly enforced* The only lever by
which people of this character can be moved,, is that
of argument. A New Englander is far more a being
of reason than of impulse. Talk to him of what is
high, generous, and noble, and he will look on you
with a vacant countenance. But tell him of what is
just, proper, and essential to his own well-being or
that of his family, and he is all ear. His faculties
are always sharp ; his feelings are obtuse.

Unitarianism is the democracy of religion. Its

Digitized by VjOOQIC

168 ITS ADAPTATION TO THE CHARACTER

creed makes fewer demands on the faith or the ima*
gination, than that of any other OtriHlJam sect. It
appeals to human reason in every step of its pro-
gress, and while it narrows the compass of miracle,
enlarges that of demonstration. Its followers have
less bigotry than other religionists, because they
have less enthusiasm. They refuse credence to the
doctrine of one grand and universal atonement, and
appeal to none of those sudden and preternatural
impulses which have given assurance to the pioas of
other sects. An Unitarian will take nothing for
granted but the absolute and plenary efficacy of his
own reason in matters of religion. He is not a fana-
tic, but a dogmatist ; one who will admit of no dis-
tinction between the incomprehensible and the false.
With such views of the Bostonians and their pre-
vailing religion, I cannot help believing, that there
exists a curious felicity of adaptation in both. The
prosperity of Unitarianism in the New England
States, seems a circumstance, which a philosophical
observer of national character, might, with no great
difficulty, have predicted. Jonathan chose his reli-
gion, as one does a hat, because it fitted him. We

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OF THE NEW ENGLANDERS. 169

believe, however, that his head has not yet attained
its full size, and confidently anticipate that its speedy
enlargement will erelong induce him to adopt a bet-
ter and more orthodox covering.

One of my first morning's occupations was to visit
Cambridge University, about three miles distant. In
this excursion I had the advantage of being accom-
panied by Professor Ticknor, who obligingly con-
ducted me over every part of the establishment.
The buildings, though not extensive, are commo-
dious ; and the library — the largest in the United
States— contains about 30,000 volumes; no very
imposing aggregate. The academical course is com-
pleted in four years, at the termination of which the
candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Arts are
admitted to that honour, after passing the ordeal of
examination. In three years more, the degree of
Master may — as in the English Universities — be
taken as matter of course. There are three terms in
the year, the intervals between which amount to
about three months. The number of students is
somewhat under two hundred and fifty. These have
the optiou of either living more academico in the

VOL, I. p n }

Digitized by VjOOQlC

170 CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY— BUNKEr's HILL.

college, or of boarding in houses in the neighbour-
hood. No religious tenets are taught ; but the reg-
nant spirit is unquestionably Unitarian. In extent,
in opulence, and in number of students, the esta-
blishment is not equal even to the smallest of our
Scottish Universities.

On leaving Cambridge, we drove to Bunker's
Hill, celebrated as the spot on which the first colli-
sion took place between the troops of the mother-
country and her rebellious colonists. It is a strong
position, and if duly strengthened by intrenchments,
might be defended against an enemy of much supe-
rior force. On the summit of this height, a monu-
ment to the memory of Washington was in progress.
A more appropriate site could not have been selected.
But tributes of stone or brass are thrown away upon
Washington. Simonumentum qucsris^ circumspice.

Our next visit was to the navy- yard, an establish-
ment of considerable extent. There were two seven-
ty-fours on the stocks, and, if I remember rightly,
a frigate and a sloop. A dry-dock had nearly been
completed of size sufficient to receive the largest
line-of-battle ship. Commodore Morris, the com-
mandant, was obligingly communicative, and, in the

NAVY- YARD — CHARLESTON PRISON. 171

course even of a short conversation, afforded abun-
dant proof, that his acquirements were very far from
being exclusively professional.

On the day following, I went, accompanied by a
very kind friend, to see the State-prison at Charles-
ton. The interesting description given by Captain
Hall of the prison at Sing* Sing had raised my curio-
sity, and I felt anxious to inspect an establishment,
conducted on the same general principle, and with
some improvements in detail. It was difficult to
conceive, that a system of discipline so rigid could
be maintained, without a degree of severity, revolt-
ing to the feelings. That hundreds of men should
live together for years in the daily association of la-
bour, under such a rigorous and unbroken system of
restraint, as to prevent them during all that period
from holding even the most trifling intercourse,
seemed a fact so singular, and in such direct opposi-
tion to the strongest propensities of human nature,
as to require strong evidence to establish its credibi-
lity. I was glad to take advantage, therefore, of the
first opportunity to visit the prison at Charleston,
and the scene there presented, was unquestionably

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172 CHARLESTON PRISON.

one of the most striking I have ever witnessed.
Pleasant it was not, for it cannot be so to witness
the degradation and sufferings of one's fellow-crea-
tures«

In no part of the establishment, however, was
thei'e any thing squalid or offensive. The gaoler —
one expects hard features in such an official — was a
man of mild expression, but of square and sinewy
frame. He had formerly been skipper of a merchant-
man, and it was impossible to compliment him on
the taste displayed in his change of profession. Be-
fore proceeding on the circuit of the prison, he com-
municated some interesting details in regard to its
general management, and the principles on which it
was conducted.

The prisoners amounted to nearly three hundred ;
the keepers were only fourteen. The disparity of
force, therefore, was enormous ; and as the system
adopted was entirely opposed to that of solitary con-
finement, it did, at first sight, seem strange that the
convicts — the greater pai't of whom were men of
the boldest and most abandoned character — should
'»ot take advantage of their vast physical superio-

j Digitized by VjOOQIC

SYSTEM OF DISCIPLINE. 173

rity, and, by murdering the keepers, regain their
liberty. A cheer, a cry, a signal, would be enough ;
they had weapons in their hands, and it required but
a momentary effort of one- tenth of their number, to
break the chains of perhaps the most galling bon-
dage to which human beings were ever subjected.

In what then consisted the safety of the goaler
and his assistants ? In one circumstance alone. In a
surveillance so strict and unceasing, as to render it
physically impossible, by day or night, for the pri-^
soners to hold the slightest communication, without
discovery. They set their lives upon this cast.
They knew the penalty of the slightest negligence,
and they acted like men who knew it.

The buildings enclose a quadrangle of about two
hundred feet square. One side is occupied by a build-
ing, in which are the cells of the prisoners. It con-
tains three hundred and four solitary cells, built
altogether of stone, and arranged in four stories.
Each cell is secured by a door of wrought iron.
On the sides where the cell-doors present them-
selves, are stone galleries, three feet wide, supported
by cast-iron pillars. These galleries extend the whole

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1T4 THE PRISON BUILDINGS.

length of the building, and encircle three sides of
these ranges of cells. The fourth presents only
a perpendicular wall, without galleries, stairs, or
doors. Below, and exterior to the cells and galleries,
runs a passage nine feet broad, from which a com-
plete view of the whole can be commanded.

The cells have each a separate ventilator. They are
seven feet long, three feet six inches wide, and con-
tain each an iron bedstead. On one side consider-
ably elevated, is a safety watch-box, with an alarum-
bell, at the command only of the gaoler on duty. In
front of the building, or rather between the building
and the central quadrangle, is the kitchen, commu-
nicating, by doors and windows, with a passage,
along which the prisoners must necessarily travel
in going to, or returning from their cells. Adjoining
is a chapel, in which the convicts attend prayers
twice a-day.

In regard to the system of discipline enforced in
this interesting establishment5 it may be better de-
scribed in other words than my own. The following
is an extract from the annual report of the Boston
Prison Discipline Society :—" From the locking up

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EMPLOYMENT OF THE PRISONERS. 175

at night till daylight, all the convicts, except an ave-
rage of about five in the hospital, are in the new
building, in separate cells, and in cells so arranged,
that a sentinel on duty can preserve entire silence
among three hundred. The space around the cells be-
ing open from the ground to the roof, in front of four
stories of cells, in a building two hundred feet in
length, furnishes a perfect sounding gallery, in
which the sentinel is placed, who can hear a whis-
per from the most distant cell. He can, therefore,
keep silence from the time of locking up at night
to the time of unlocking in the morning, which,
at some seasons of the year, makes more than one
half of all the time, which is thus secured from
evil communication. From the time of unlocking in
the morning, about twelve minutes are occupied in
a military movement of the convicts, in companies
of thirty-eight, with an officer to each company, in
perfect silence, to their various places of labour. At
the end of that period, it is found that there is a
place for every man, and every man in his place.
This is as true of the officers as of the convicts. If
an officer have occasion to leave his place, the system

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176 HOURS OF LABOUK.

requires that a substitute be called ; if a convict have
occasion to leave his place, there is a token provided
for each shop, or for a given number of men, so that
from this shop or number only one convict can leave
his place at a time. The consequence is, that with
the exception of those who have the tokens in their
hands, any officer of the institution may be certain
of finding, during the hours of labour, a place for
every man, and every man in his place. There is,
however, a class of men, consisting of ten or twelve,
called runners and lumpers^ whose duty consists in
moving about the yard* But even their movements
are in silence and order. Consequently, during the
hours of labour, the convicts are never seen moving
about the yard promiscuously, or assembled in little
groups, in some hiding-places of mischief, or even
two and two in common conversation. All is order
and silence, except the busy noise of industry during
the hours of labour.

" The hours of labour in the morning vary a little
with the season of the year, but amount at this sea*
son to nearly two hours, from the time of unlocking
in the morning till breakfast. When the hour for.

Digitized by VjOOQIC

PRISON REGULATIONS. 177

breakfast comes, almost in an instant the convicts
are all seen marching in solid and silent columns,
with the lock-step, under their respective officers,
from the shops to the cells. On their way to the
cells they pass the cookery, where the food, having
been made ready, is handed to them as they pass
along ; and at the end of about twelve minutes, from
the time of ringing the bell for breakfast, all the
convicts are in their cells eating their breakfasts,
silently and alone. One officer only is left in charge
to preserve silence, and the others are as free from
solicitude and care, till the hour for labour returns,
as other citizens.

" When the time of labour again returns, which
is at the end of about twenty-five minutes, almost in
an instant the whole body of convicts are again seen
marching as before to their places of labour. On
their way to the shops, they pass through the chapel
. and attend prayers. The time from breakfast till
dinner passes away like the time for labour before
breakfast, all the convicts being found in their places
industriously employed, in silence. The time assign-*
ed for dinner is filled up in the same manner ^ the

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178 PRISON REGULATIONS.

time assigned for breakfast ; and the time for labour
in the afternoon in the same manner as the time for
labour in the morning ; and when the time for even*
ing prayers has come, at the ringing of the bell, all
the convicts, and all the officers not on duty else*
where, are seen marching to the chapel, where the
chaplain closes the day with reading the Scriptures
and prayer. After which the convicts march with
perfect silence and order to their cells, taking their
supper as they pass along. In about five-and-twenty
minutes from the time of leaving their labour, the
convicts have attended prayers in the chapel, taken
their supper, marched to their cells with their supper
in their hands, and are safely locked up for the night.
This is the history of a day at Charleston ; and the
history of a day is the history of a year, with the
variations which are made on the Sabbath, by dis-
pensing with the hours of labour, and substituting
the hours for instruction in the Sabbath* School, and
the hours for public worship."

We had hardly time to examine the arrangement
of the cells when the dinner-bell sounded, and is-
suing out into the quadrangle, the whole prisoners

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WORKSHOPS OF THE PRISONERS. 179

marched past in imposing military array. In pass*
ing tbe kitchen, each man's dinner was thrust out
on a sort of ledge, from which it was taken without
any interruption of his progress. In less than two
minutes they were in their ^^ deep solitudes and aw-
ful cells/' and employed in the most agreeable duty
of their day — dinner. I again entered the building,
to listen for the faintest whisper. None was to be
heard ; the silence of the desert could not be deeper.
In about half an hour another bell rang, and the
prisoners were again a-foot. The return to labour
differed in nothing from the departure from it; but
the noise of saws, axes, and hammers, soon showed
they were now differently employed.

The gaoler next conducted us through the work-
shops. Each trade had a separate apartment. The
masons were very numerous; so were the carpenters
and coopers. The tailors were employed in making
clothes for their companions in misfortune, and the
whole establishment had the air rather of a well-
conducted manufactory than of a prison. There
was nothing of deep gloom, but a good deal of cal-
lous indifference generally observable in the counte-

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180 INTERCOURSE WITH THE WORLD CUT OFF.

nances of the convicts. In some, however, I thought
I did detect evidence of overwhelming depression.
Yet this might be imagination, and when I pointed
out the individuals to the gaoler, he assured me I was
mistaken.

The prisoners are allowed to hold no intercourse
of any kind, with the world beyond the walls which
enclose them. It is a principle invariably adhered to,
that they shall be made to feel, that during their con-
finement — and many are confined for life — they are
beings cut ofi^ even from the commonest sympathies
of mankind. I know not but that severity in this
respect has been carried too far. If they are again
to be turned out upon society, is it not injudicious,
as it is cruel policy, to trample on the affections
even of these depraved and guilty beings, and to
send them forth with every tie broken which might
have acted as a motive to reformation ? What can
be expected from men so circumstanced, but that
they will renew their former courses, or plunge into
guilt yet deeper. On the other hand, if they are to
be immured for life, the punishment can be consi-*
dered little better than a gratuitous barbarity. But

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POLICY OF SUCH TREATMENT. 181

the great evil is, that on the utterly abandoned it
falls lightly. It is the heart guilty, yet not hardened
in guilt, which is still keenly alive to the gentler
and purer affections, that it crushes with an oppres-
sion truly withering. And can no penalty be dis-
covered more appropriate for the punishment of the
sinner, than one which falls directly and exclusively
on the only generous sympathies which yet link him
to his fellow-men ? Why should he be treated like
a brute, whose very sufferings prove him to be a
man?

The whole produce of the labour of the prisoners
belongs to the state. No portion of it is allowed to
the prisoner on his discharge. This regulation may
be judicious in America, where the demand for la-
bour is so great, that every man may, at any time,
command employment; but in Great Britain it is
different, and there to turn out a convict on the
world, penniless, friendless, and without character,
would be to limit his choice to the alternative of
stealing or starving.

Of course, a system of discipline so rigorous could
not be enforced without a power of punishment,

Digitized.by VjOOQIC

182 ARBITRARY POWER OF THE GAOLER.

almost arbitrary, being vested in tbe gaoler. The
slightest infraction of the prison rules, therefore, is
uniformly followed by severe infliction. There is no
pardon, and no impunity for offenders of any sort ;
and here, as elsewhere, the certainty of punishment
following an offence is found very much to diminish
the necessity for its frequency. There is great evil,
however, in this total irresponsibility on the part of
the gaoler. There is no one to whom the convict, if
unjustly punished, can complain, and a power is in-
trusted to an uneducated man, possibly of strong
passions, which the wisest and best of mankind
would feel himself unfit to exercise. I cannot help
thinking, therefore, that a board of inspectors should
assemble at least monthly at the prison, in order to
hear all complaints that may be made against the
gaoler. There is no doubt that this unpopular func-
tionary would be subject to many false and frivo-
lous accusations. The latter, however, may always
be dismissed without trouble of any sort, but all
plausible charges should receive rigid and impartial
examination. The circumstances connected with
the Charleston prison are precisely the most favour-
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IMPROVEMENTS SUGGESTED. 183

able for the attainment of truth. There can be no
concert among the witnesses to be examined, no
system of false evidence got up, no plotting, no
collusion. Here coincidence of testimony could be
explained only on the hypothesis of its truth ; and
this circumstance must be quite as favourable to the
gaoler as to the prisoners. The former could never
want the means of vindication, if falsely impeached.
I had a good deal of conversation with the gaoler
in regard to the effects produced by the system on
the morals of the convicts. He at once admitted
that any material improvement of character in full«
grown offenders was rarely to be expected, but main-
tained that the benefit of the Charleston system,
even in this respect, was fully greater than had been
found to result from any other plan adopted in the
United States. His experience had not led him to
anticipatie much benefidal consequence from the
system of solitary confinement. He had seen it
often tried, but the prisoners on their liberation had
almost uniformly relapsed into their former habits
of crime. One interesting anecdote which occurred
under his own observation, I shall here record.

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184 ANECDOTE OF A PRISONER.

Many years ago, long before the establishment of
the present prison system, a man of respectable con-
nexions, but of the most abandoned habits, was con-
victed of burglary, and arrived at Charleston jail,
under sentence of imprisonment for life. His spirit
was neither humbled by the punishment nor the
disgrace. His conduct towards the keepers was
violent and insubordinate, and it was soon found
necessary, for the maintenance of discipline, that he
should be separated from his fellow-prisoners, and
placed in solitary coniSnement. For the first year he
was sullen and silent, and the clergyman who fre-
quently visited him in his cell, found his mind imper-
vious to all religious impression. But by degrees a
change took place in his deportment. His manner
became mild and subdued ; he was often found read-
ing the Scriptures, and both gaoler and chaplain
congratulated themselves on the change of character
so manifest in the prisoner. He spoke of his past
life, and the fearful offences in which it had abound-
ed, with suitable contrition, and expressed his grati-
tude to God, that, instead of being snatched away in
the midst of his crimes, time had been afforded him

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ANECDOTE OF A PRISONER. 185

for repentance, and the attainment of faith in that
grand and prevailing atonement, by the efficacy of
which even the greatest of sinners might look for
pardon.

Nothing in short could be more edifjring than this
man's conduct and conversation. All who saw him
became interested in the fate of so meek a Christian,
and numerous applications were made to the Gover-
nor of the State for his pardon. The Governor, with
such weight of testimony before him, naturally in-
clined to mercy, and in a few weeks the man would
have been undoubtedly liberated, when one day, in
the middle of a religious conversation, he sprang
upon the keeper, stabbed him in several places, and
having cut his throat, attempted to escape.

The attempt failed. The neophyte in morality
was brought back to his cell, and loaded with heavy
irons. In this condition he remained many years,
of course without the slightest hope of liberation.
At length, his brother-in-law, a man of influence
and fortune in South Carolina, made application to
the authorities of Massachusetts on lii? behalf. He

VOL. I. 2

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186 ANECDOTE OF A PRISONER*

expressed his readiness to provide for his unfortunate
relative, and, if liberated, he promised, on his arrival
in Charleston, to place him in a situation above all
temptation to return to his former crimes.

This offer was accepted; the prisoner was set at
liberty, and the goaler, who told me the anecdote,
was directed to see him safely on board of a Charles*
ton packet, in which due provision had been made
for his reception. His imprisonment had extended to
the long period of twenty years, during which he had
never once breathed the pare air of heaven, nor
gazed on the sun or sky. In the interval, Boston,
which he remembered as a small town, had grown
into a large city. Its advstnce in opulence had been
still more rapid. In every thing there had been a
change. The appearance, manners, habits, thoughts,
prejudices, and opinions of the generation then living,
were different from all to which he had been accus-
tomed. Nor was the aspect of external objects less
altered. Streets of framework cottages had been
replaced by handsome squares, and stately edifices of
brick. Gay equipages, such as he never remembered,
met his observation at every turn. In short, he felt

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ANECDOTE OF A PRISONER. 187.

like the inhabitant of another planet, suddenly cast
into a world of which he knew nothing.

My informant — I wish I could give the story in
his own words — described well and feelingly the
progress of the man's impressions. A coach had
been provided for his conveyance to the packet. On
first entering it he displayed no external symptom
of emotion ; but as the carriage drove on, he gazed
from the window, endeavouring to recognise the fea**
tures of the scenery. But in vain ; he looked for
marsh and forest, and he beheld streets ; he expect-
ed to cross a poor ferry, and the carriage ^rolled over
a magnificent bridge ; he looked for men as he had
left them, and he saw beings of aspect altogether
different. Where were the great men of the State-
house and the Exchange — the aristocracy of the dol-
lar bags — the Cincinnati of the Revolution, who
brought to the counting-house the courtesies of the
camp and the parade, and exhibited the last and
noblest specimens of the citizen gentleman ? They
had gone down to their fathers full of years and of
honour, and their descendants had become as the
sons of other men. Queues, clubs, periwigs, shoe-
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188 AKECDOTE OF A J»RISONEtt*

buckles, hair*powder, and cocked hats, had fled to
some other and more dignified world. The days of
dram-drinking and tobacco-chewing, of gaiters, trow-
sers, and short crops, had succeeded* The latter
circumstances, indeed, might not have occasioned
the poor relieved convict any great concern, but the
whole scene was too much for him to bear unmoved.
His spirit was weighed down by a feeling of intense
solitude, and he burst into tears.

The remainder of the story may be told in a few
words. He reached Charleston, where his brother
placed him in a respectable boarding-house, and
supplied him with necessaries of every kind. His
conduct for the first year was all that could be de-
sired. But at length in an evil hour he was induced
to visit New York. He there associated with pro-
fligate companions, and relapsing into his formel*
habits, was concerned in a burglary, for which he
was tried and convicted. He is now in the prison
at Sing- Sing, under sentence of imprisonment for
life, and from death only can he hope for liberation.

The gaoler told me this anecdote, as a proof how
little amendment of the moral character, is to be ex-

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OBSERVATIONS ON PRISON DISCIPLINE. 189

pectedfrom solitary coDfinemeDt. The case undoubt-*
edly is a strong one, yet, of all the systems of punish-
ment hitherto .devised, the entire isolation of the cri-
minal from his fellow-men, — ^if judicious advantage
be taken of the opportunities it affords, and the state
of mind which it can scarcely fail to produce, —
seems that which is most likely to be attended with
permanent reformation. The great objection to the
Auburn and Charleston system, is, that the prison-
ers are treated like brutes, and any lurking sense of
moral dignity is destroyed. Each individual is not
only degraded in his own eyes, but in those of his
companions; and it appears impossible that a cri*
minal, once subjected to such treatment, should ever
after be qualified to discharge, with advantage to his
country, the duties of a citizen. Solitary confine-
ment, on the other hand, has necessarily no such
consequence; it at once obviates all occasion for
corporal punishment, and for the exercise of arbi-
trary and irresponsible power on the part of the
gaoler. The prisoner, on his liberation, is restored
to society, humbled, indeed, by long suffering, yet

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'190 OBSERVATIONS ON PRISON DISCIPLINE.

not utterly degraded below the level of his fellow-
creatures.

On the whole, the system of discipline I have wit-
nessed at Charleston must be considered as a curious
experiment, illustrating the precise degree of coer-
cion necessary to destroy the whole influence of hu-
man volition, and reduce man to the condition of a
machine. How far it accomplishes the higher objects
contemplated in the philosophy of punishment, is a
question which demands more consideration than I
have at present time or inclination to bestow on it.
I anticipate, however, having occasion to return to
the subject, in narrating my visit to the Penitentiary
at Philadelphia. •

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THE TARIFF QUESTION, 191

CHAPTER VII.

BOSTON.

The New England States are the great seat of
manufactures in the Union ; and in Boston especially,
it is impossible to mix at all in society without hear-
ing discussions on the policy of the Tariff Bill. I
was prepared to encounter a good deal of bigotry on
this subject, but on the whole found less than I ex-
pected. Of course, here, as elsewhere, men will argue
strenuously and earnestly on the policy of a mea-
sure, with which they know their own interests to
be inseparably connected; but both the advocates
and opponents of the Tariff are to be found mingled
very sociably at good men's feasts, and I have not
been able to discover that antagonism of opinion has
been. in any degree productive of hostility of feeling.

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19S THE TARIFF gUESTlOJf,

On this question, as on many others, the weight
of numbers is on one side, and that of sound argu-
ment on the other. It is the observation, I think, of
Hobbes, that were it to become the interest of any
portion of the human race to deny the truth of a
proposition in Euclid, by no power of demonstration
could it ever after command universal assent. This
may be going too far, but we know how difficult it
is, in the less certain sciences, to influence the under-
standing of those in favour of a conclusion, whose
real or imagined interests must be injuriously afi^ect-
ed by its establishment. Truths cease to be palpable
when they touch a man's prejudices or his pocket,
and patriotism is generally found at a premium or a
discount, precisely as it happens to be connected with
profit or loss.

It was not to be expected, therefore, that a ques-
tion afi^ecting the various and conflicting interests of
difi^erent classes of men should be discussed in a very
calm or philosophical spirit. ^^ The American sys-*
tem,'' as it is called, was strenuously supported by
the rich northern merchants, who expected to And
in manufactures a new and profitable investment for

2

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OBSERVATIONS ON THE TARIFF. 193

their capital; arid by the farmers, who expected to
realize better prices for their wool and corn than
could be commanded in the English market* It was
opposed with at least equal vehemence by the plant-
ers of the Southern States, who regarded England a^
their best customer, and who must have been the
chief sufferers had these measures of restriction been
met by retaliation. Of course, as no manufactures
of any kind exist south of the Potomac, the inha^
bitants of tliat extensive region were by no means
satisfied of the justice of a policy, which, by increa-
sing the price of all foreign commodities, had the
effect of transferring money from their pockets to
those of the New England monopolists. The Tariff
Bill encountered strong opposition in both houses of
the Legislature, but the representatives of the West-
ern States having declared in its favour, it eventually
passed, though by narrow majorities, and became
law.

The passing of this bill inflicted a deep wound
on the stability of the Union. The seeds of dissen-
sion among the different States had long been dif-

VOL. J. R

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194 OBSERVATIONS ON THE TARIFF.

fused, and now^ began to exhibit signs of rapid and
luxuriant growtb. The inhabitants of the South-
ern States were almost unanimous against the law*
Their representatives not only protested loudly
against its injustice, but declared, that in imposing
duties, not for the sake of revenue but protection,
Congress had wantonly exceeded its powers, and
violated one of the fundamental principles of the
constitution. Thus arose the celebrated doctrine of
nvUificcition^ or, in other words, the assertion of an
independent power in each State of the Union, to
decide for itself on the justice of the measures of the
Federal government, and to declare null,- within its
own limits, any act of the Federal Congress which it
may consider as an infraction of its s^arate rights.
To this great controversy, affecting in its very
principle the cohesion of the different states, I shall
not at present do more than allude. It does, how-
ever, appear abundantly clear, that if there ever
was a country in which it is injudicious to trammel
industry with artificial restrictions, that country is
the United States. Covering a vast extent of fertile
territory, and advancing in wealth and population

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OBSERVATIONS ON THE TARIFF. 195

With a rapidity altogether unparalleled, it seems only
necessary to the happiness and prosperity of this
favoured people, that they should refrain from coun-
teracting the beneficence of nature, and tranquilly
enjoy the many blessings which she has placed within
their reach. But this, unfortunately, is precisely
what American legislators are not inclined to do.
They seem determined to have a prosperity of their
own making; to set up rival Birminghams and
Manchesters; and in spite of ^^ nature and their
stars," to become, without delay, a great manufac-
turing, as well as a great agricultural nation.

But such things as Birmingham and Manchester
are not to be created by an act of Congress. They
can arise only under a vast combination of favour-
able circumstances, the approach of which may be
retarded, but cannot possibly be accelerated, by a
system of restrictions. They would undoubtedly
have arisen far soon^ in England, but for the igno-
rsmt adoption of the very policy which the Americans
have now thought it expedient to imitate. But there
is this excuse at least for our ancestors : The policy
they adopted was in the spirit of their age. They

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1% OBSERVATIONS ON THE TARIFF.

did not seek to reyive the exploded dogmas of a
country or a period less enlightened than their own ;
and it can only be charged against them, that in
seeking to gain a certain object, with but few and
scattered lights to guide their footsteps, they went
astray.

But to such palliation the conduct of the Ame-
rican legislators has no claim. With the path before
them clear as daylight, they have preferred entangling
themselves in thickets and quagmires. Like chil-
dren, they have closed their eyes, and been content
to believe that all is darkness. Living in one age,
they have legislated in the spirit of another, and
their blunders want even the merit of originality.
They have exchanged their own comfortable clothing
for the cast-off garments of other men, and strangely
appeal to their antiquity as evidence of their value/

The appeal to English precedent may nave some
weight as an argummtum ad hominem, but as an arffu-
mentum veritatia it can have none. We cheerfully
admit, that there is no absurdity so monstrous, as to
want a parallel in the British statute-book. We only
hope that we are outgrowing our errors, and profit--

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OBSERVATIONS ON THE TAIIIFF. 197

ing, however tardily, by our own experience and
that of the world. But even this praise the advo-*
cates of American monopoly are not inclined to
a]low n^. They charge us with bad faith in our com-
merpial reforms ; with arguing on one side, and act-
ing on the other ; and allege, that our statesmen,
with the words^e^ trade constantly on their lips, are
still guided in their measures, by the spirit of that
^antiquated policy, which they so loudly condemn*

Enough of allowance, however, has not been made
for the difficulties of their situation. Our legisla-
tors, it should be remembered, had to deal with vast
interests^ which had grown up under the exclusive
system so long and rigidly adhered to. Any gteat
and sudden change in our commercial policy would
have been ruinous and unjust. It was necessary that
the transition should be gradual, even to a healthier
r^men ; that men's opinions should be conciliated,
and that time should be afforded for the adjustment
of vested interests to the new circumstances of com-
petition which awaited them. The question was far
less ad to the truth or soundness of certain abstract
doctrines of political economy, than by what means

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198 OBSERVATIONS ON THE TARIFF.

changes affecting the disposition of the whole capital
of the country, could he introduced with least injury
and alarm*

Those only who have minutely followed the pub-
lic life of Mr Huskisson during the last ten years,
can duly estimate the magnitude of the obstacles
with which at every step of his progress he had to
contend. In truth, we know not any portion of
history which would better repay the study of Ame-
rican statesmen. They will there acquire some
knowledge of the difficulties, which assuredly, sooner
or later, they will be compelled to encounter. They
will learn, that a system of prohibition cannot be
abandoned with the same ease with which it was ori-
ginally assumed. Their first advance in the course
on which they have entered may be prosperous,
but their retreat must necessarily be disastrous.
They will have to endure the reproaches of the bank-
rupt manufacturers. They will have the punishment
of beholding a large proportion of the capital of their
country irrecoverably lost. They will be assailed by
the clamour and opposition of men of ruined for-
tunes and disappointed hopes, and while they

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OBSERVATIONS ON THE TARIFF^ ' 199

lament the diminution of their country's prosperity,
even their self-love will scarcely secure them from
the conviction of its being attributable solely to
their own selfish and ignorant policy.

In no country in the world, perhaps, could the
prohibitory system be tried with less prospect of
success than in the United States. The vast extent
of territory alone presents an insuperable obstacle to
its enforcement. The statesmen of England had no
such d^Eieulty to struggle with. They had to legis-
late for a small, compact, and insular country, in
which there existed no such diversity of climate or
of interest as to create much inequality of pressure
in any scheme, however unreasonable, of indirect
taxation. In England, there are no provincial jea-
loi^ies to be reconciled, no rivalries or antipathies
between different portions of the kingdom, and the
facilities of communication are ah*eady so great as
to give promise that the word distance will be speedily
erased from our vocabulary.

But in America all this is different. Those err
egregiously who regard the population of the United
States as an uniform whole, composed throughout

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200 OBSERVATIONS ON THE TARIFF.

of similar materials, and whose patriotic attachment
embraces the whole territory between the Missis-
sippi and the Penobscot. An American is not a
being of strcfng local attachments, and the slightest
temptation of profit is always strong enough to in-
duce him to quit his native State, and break all the
ties which are found to operate so powerfully ou
other men. Entire disparity of circumstances and
situation between the Northern and Southern States
have, besides, produced considerable alienation of
feeling in their inhabitants; and disputes, arising
from differences of soil and climate, are evidently
beyond the control of legislative interference* The
Georgian or Carolinian, therefore, lives in a state of
the most profound indifference with regard to the
prosperity of New England, or rather, perhaps, ist
positively jealous of any increase of wealth or popu-
lation, by which that portion of the Union may ac-
quire additional influence in the national councils.
To the people of the Southern States, therefore,
any indirect taxation, imposed for the benefit of the
Northern, must be doubly odious. The former wish
only to buy where they can buy cheapest, and to sell

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OBSERVATIONS ON THE TARIFF. 201

where they can find the best market for their pro-*
duce. Besides, they are violent and high-spirited,
strong republicans, and averse from any unnecessary
exercise of power on the part of the Federal govern-
ment. England is their great customer, and the
planter can entertain no reasonable hope of opulence
which is not founded on her prosperity. Such are
the discordant materials with which Congress has to
deal, and which visionary legislators have vainly
attempted to unite in cordial support of ^* the Ame-
rican system."

It is obvious, that a legislature which enters on
a system of protection-duties, assumes the exercise
of a power with which no wise men would wish
to be intrusted, and which it is quite impossible
they can exercise with advantage. They, in fact,
assume the direction of the whole industry and ca-
pital of the country; dictate in what channels they
shall flow I arbitrarily enrich one class at the expense
of another ; tax the many for the benefit of the few,
and, in short, enter on a policy, which, if followed
by other countries, would necessarily put a stop to
all commerce, and throw each nation on its indivi-

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202 OBSERVATIONS ON THE TARIFF.

dual reoources. There can be no reduciio ad ahsur"
dum more complete. The commercial intercourse
of nations would be annihilated were there a dozen
governments in the world actuated by a cupidity so
blind and uncalculating. It is, besides, impossible
that any system of protection can add any thing to the
productive industry of a people. The utmost it can
effect is the transference of labour and capital from
one branch of employment to another. It simply
holds out a bribe to individuals to divert their in-
dustry from the occupations naturally most profit-
able, to others which are less so. This cannot be
done without national loss. The encouragement
which is felt in one quarter, must be accompanied by
at least equal depression in another. The whole
commercial system is made to rest on an insecure
and artificial foundation, and the capital of the coun-
try, which has been influ^iced in its distribution, by
a temporary and contingent impulse, may, at any
moment, be paralysed by a change of system.

It is impossible, therefore, as matters now stand
in America, that the manufacturing capitalists can
look with any feeling of security to the future. They

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OBSERVATIONS ON THE TARIFF. 203

know, that the sword which is suspended over them
hangs only by a hair, and may fall at any time. A
large portion of the Union are resolutely, and almost
unanimously, opposed to the continuance of the sys-
tem. The monopolists, therefore, can ground their
speculations on no hope but that of large and imme"
diate profits, and the expectation, that should the
present Tariff continue in force but a few years, they
will, in that period, not only have realized the ori-
ginal amount of their investments, but a return suf-
ficiently large to compensate for all the hazards of
the undertaking. It is from the pockets of their fel-
low-subjects that they look for this enormous reim-
bursement ; and, in a general point of view, perhaps,
it matters little how much of the wealth of Virginia
and the Carolinas may be transferred to New Eng-
land, since the aggr^ate of national opulence would
continue unchanged. One great and unmitigated
evil of the Tari£F-tax, however, consists in this, that
while it is unjust and oppressive in its operation, it
destroys far more capital than it sends into the cof-
fers either of the Government or of individuals. All
that portion of increased price which proceeds from

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204 OBSERVATIONS ON THE TARIFF*

increased difficulty of production in any article, ii
precisely so much of the national capital annihilated
without benefit of any sort.

But, in truth, the exclusion of British goods from
the Union is impossible. The extent of the Cana-
dian frontier is so g^eat, that the vigilance of a mil-
lion of custom-house officers could not prevent their
introduction. A temptation high in exact proportion
to the amount of the restrictive duty, is held out to
every trader; or in other words, the government
which enforces the impost, offers a premium for its
evasion. If Jonathan, — which we much doubt, — ^is
too honest to smuggle, John Canadian is not; and
the consequence simply is, that the United States
are supplied with those goods from Montreal, which,
under other circumstances, would have been directly
imported. I remember walking through some ware-
houses in New York with an eminent merchant of
that city ; and on remarking the vast profusion of
British manufactures everywhere apparent, he sig-
nificantly answered, ^* Depend upon it, you have
seen many more goods to-day than ever passed the
Hook." In this matter, therefore^ there exists no

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OBSERVATIONS ON THE TARIFF. 205

discrepancy between reason and experience. The
trade between the countries still goes on with little,
if any diminution. It has only been diverted from
its natural and wholesome channel; taken from the
respectable merchant, and thrown into the hands of
the smuggler.

Among the body of the people there exists more
ignorance as to the nature and effects of commerce,
than might have been expected in a nation so gene-
rally commercial. I believe the sight of the vast
importations from Britain^ which fill the warehouses
in every seaport, is accompanied with a feeling not
unallied to envy. They would pardon us for our
king and our peers, our palaces and our parade, far
sooner than for our vast manufactories, which de-
luge the world with their produce. Such feelings
are the consequence of ignorant and narrow views.
In truth, every improvement in machinery which
is made in Leeds or Manchester is a benefit to the
world. By its agency the price of some commodity
has been lowered, and an article, perhaps essential
to comfort, is thus brought within the reach of miU

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206 OBSERVATIONS ON THE TARIFF.

lions to whom it most otherwise hare been inacces-
sible.

Any sentiment of jealousy arising from the diffu-
sion of British manufactures in their own country
is no less absurd. Every increase of importation is,
in fact, an evidence of increased opulence and pros-
perity in the importing country. Not a bale of
goods is landed at the quay of New York, without
an equal value of the produce of the country being
exported to pay for it. Commerce is merely a bar-
ter of equivalents, and carries this advantage^ that
both parties are enriched by it. Thus, a piece of
muslin may be more valuable in America than a
bag of cotton; while, in England, the superiority
of value is on the side of the latter. It is evident,
therefore, that if these two articles be exchanged,
both parties are gainers ; both receive a greater value
than they have given, and the mass of national opu-
lence, both in England and America, has received
a positive increase. A commerce which is not mu-
tually advantageous cannot be continued. No Tariff
bill, no system of restriction, is required to put a
stop to it. Governments have no reason to concern

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OBSERVATIONS ON THE TARIFF. 20T

themselves about the balance of trade. They may
safely leave that to individual sagacity, and devote
their attention to those various interests in which
legislation may at least possibly be attended vdth
benefit.

But formidable as the difficulties are which sur-
round the supporters of the prohibitory system, an-
other is approaching, even of greater magnitude. In
two years the national debt will be extinguished^
and the Federal government. will find itself in pos-
session of a surplus revenue of 12,000,000 of dollars,
chiefly the produce of the Tariff duties. The ques-
tion will then arise, how is this revenue to be appro-
priated. If divided among the different states, the
tranquillity of the Union virill be disturbed by a
thousand jealousies, which very probably would ter-
minate in its dissolution. Besides, such an appro«>
priation is confessedly unconstitutional, and must
arm the government with a power never contempla-
ted at its formation. To apply the surplus in pro^
jects of general improvement, under direction of Con-
gress, would increase many of the difficulties, while
it obviated none. In short, there is no escaping from

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308 OBSERVATIONS ON THE TARIFF*

the dilemma ; and, singular as it may seem to an
Englishman, the Tariff will probably be extinguished
by a sheer plethora of money. The most enlight**
ened statesmen unite in the conviction, that there is
but one course to be pursued, and that is, to reduce
the duties to a fair system of revenue ; to extract
from the pockets of the people what is sufficient for
the necessary expenses of the government, and no
more. It is singular, that the wealth of a nation,
which in other countries is found to generate cor*
ruption, should, in the United States, be the meana
of forcing the government to return to the prin*
ciples of sound and constitutional legislation*

I am aware there is nothing new in all this, nor is
it possible perhaps to be very original on a subject
which has been so often and so thoroughly discussed.
It ought perhaps in justice to be stated, that the ma-*
jority of the gentlemen among whom I moved in Bos-
ton, were opposed to the Tariff, and that I derived
much instruction both from their conversation and
writings. The great majority of the mercantile popu-
lation, however, are in favour of the prohibitory

system, though I could not discover much novelty in
3

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KEW ENGLAND CHARACTER. 209

the argaments by which they support it. To these^
however, I shall not advert, and gladly tarn from a
subject, which I fear can possess little interest for an
English reader.

A traveller has no sooner time to look about him
in Boston, than he receives the conviction that he
is thrown among a population of a character differ-
ing in much from that of the other cities of the
Union, If a tolerable observer, he will immediately
remark that the lines of the forehead are more deeply
indented ; that there is more hardness of feature ; a
more cold and lustreless expression of the eye; a
more rigid compression of the lips, and that the
countenance altogether is of a graver and more me*
ditative cast* Something of all this is apparent
even in childhood ; as the young idea shoots, the pe-
euliarities become more strongly marked ; they gi'ow
with his growth and strengthen with his strength,
and it is only when the New Englander is restored
to his kindred dust that they are finally obliterated.
(Observe him in every different situation ; at the
funeral, and the marriage-feast ; at the theatre, and
the conventicle ; in. the ball-room, and on the ex-

• VOL. I* .: s

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210 NEW ENGLAND C.HARACTER.

chaDge, and yoa will set him down as of God's crea-
tures the least liable to be influenced by circum-
stance^ appealing to the heart or imagination./

The whole city seems to partake of this peculiar
character, and a traveller coming from New York is
especially struck with it It is not that the streets
of Boston are less crowded, the public places less
frequented, or that the business of life is less energe-
tically pursued. In all these matters, to the eye of a
stranger there is little perceptible difference. But
the population is evidently more orderly ; the con-
ventional restrictions of society are more strictly
drawn, and even the lower orders are distinguished
by a solenmity of demeanour, not observable in their
more southern neighbours. A shopkeeper weighs
coffee or measures tape with the air of a philosopher ;
makes observations on the price or quality with an
air of sententious sagacity; subjects your coin to a
sceptical scrutiny, and as you walk off with your
parcel in your pocket, examines you from top to toe,
in order to gain some probable conclusion as to your
habits or profession.

Boston is quiet, but there is none of the torpor of

■ ' >

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NEW ENGLAND CHARACTER. 211

Still life about it Nowhere are the arts of money
getting more deeply studied or better understood.
There is here less attempt than elsewhere to com*
bine pleasure and business, simply because to a New
Englander business is pleasure — indeed the only
pleasure he cares much about. An English shop-
keeper is a tradesman all morning, but a gentleman
in the evening. He casts his slough like a snake, and
steps into it again, only when he crosses the counter.
Tallow, dry goods^ and tobacco are topics specially
eschewed in the drawing-rooms of Camberwell and
Hackney^ and all talk about sales and bankruptcies
is considered a violation of the biens^ances at Broad-
stairs and Margate. In short, an English tradesman
is always solicitous to cut the shop whenever he can
do so with impunity, and it often happens that an
acute observer of manners can detect a man's busi-
ness rather by the topics he betrays anxiety to avoid,
than those on which he delivers his opinion.

There is some folly in all this, but there is like-
wise some happiness. Enough, and too much, of
man's life is devoted to business and its cares,
and it is well that at least a portion of it should be

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212 NEW ENGLAND CHARACTER^

given to enjoyment, and the cultivation of those cha-^
rities, which constitute the redeeming part of our
nature. The follies of mankind have at least the
advantage of being generally social, and connected
with the happiness of others as well as with our own.
But the pursuits of avarice and ambition are selfish ;
their object is the attainment of solitary distinction,
and the depression of competitors is no less necessary
to success, than the positive elevation of the candi-
date. The natural sympathies of humanity are apt
to wither in the hearts of men engrossed by such
interests. Even the vanities and follies o€ life have
their use in softening the asperities of contest, and
uniting men in their weakness, who would willingly
stand apart in their strength. It is good, therefore,
that the lawyer should sometimes forget his briefs,
and the merchant his ^^ argosies," and his money-
bags ; that the poor man should cast off the memory
of his sweat and his sufferings, and find even in
frivolous amusements, a Sabbath of the sterner pas-
sions.

But such Sabbath the New Englander rarely
Jcnows. Wherever he goes the coils of business are

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NEW ENGLAND CHARACTER. 213

around liim. He is a sort of moral Laocoon, differing
only in tbis, that he makes no struggle to be free.
Mammon has no more zealous worshipper than yoar
true Yankee. His homage is not merely that of the
lip, or of the knee ; it is an entire prostration of the
heart ; the devotion of all powers, bodily and mental,
to the service of the idol. He views the world but
as one vast exchange, on which he is impelled, both
by principle and interest, to over-reach his neigh-
bours if he can. The thought of business is never
absent from his mind. To him there is no enjoyment
without traffic. He travels snail-like, with his shop
or his counting-house on his back, and, like other
hawkers, is always ready to open his budget of little
private interests for discussion or amusement. The
only respite he enjoys from the consideration of his
own affairs, is the time he is pleased to bestow on
prying into yours. In regard to the latter, he evi-
dently considers that he has a perfect right to unli-
mited sincerity. There is no baffling him. His cu-
jriosity seems to rise in proportion to the difficulty of
its gratification : He will track you through every
.evasion, detect all your doublings, or, if thrown out.

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214 NEW ENGLAND CHARACTER.

will hark back so ekilfully on the scent, that you are
at length fairly hedged in a comer, and are tempted
to exclaim, in the words of the most gifted of female
poets, —

*' The deyjl damn thy qaestion-asking spirit ;
For when thou takest a notion by the shirt,
Thoa, like an English bull-dog, keepest thy hold.
And wilt not let it go.**

Their puritan descent has stamped a character on
the New Englanders, which nearly two centuries
have done little to efface. Among their own coun-
trymen they are distinguished for their enterprise,
prudence, frugality, order, and intelligence. Like
the Jews, they are a marked people, and stand out
in strong relief from the population which surrounds
them« I imagine attachment to republicanism is
less fervent in this quarter of the Union than in any
other. The understanding of a Yankee is not likely
to be run away with by any political plausibilities,
and concerns itself very little about evils which are
merely speculative. He is content when he feels a
grievance to apply a remedy, and sets about the
work of reform, with none of that revolutionary fury>

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CONSTITUTION OF NEW ENGLAND STATES. 2 15

which has so often marred the fairest prospects of
the philanthropist. Since the establishment of their
iadependence^ therepresentatiyesof these States have
almost uniformly advocated in Congress the prin-
ciples of Washington, Hamilton, and Adams, and
rather regarded with apprehension the democratic
tendencies of the constitution, than the dangers
which might result from increase of power on the
part of the executive.

This is the more remarkable, as the constitutions
of most of the New England States are in truth re-
publican in a degree verging on democracy. In New
Hampshire, the governor, council, senators, and
representatives are all elected annually by the people.
In Vermont, there is only one Legislative Body,
which, along with the governor and council, and
judges^ is chosen annually. Rhode Island, strange to
say, has no written constitution at all, and the inha-
bitants find it very possible to live in perfect com*
fort and security without one. The custom is, how-
ever, to have a governor, senate, and representatives,
.who are chosen annually. The appointment of j udges
is likewise annual. In Massachusetts, the governor

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216 CONSTITUTION OF NEW ENGLAND STATES.

and Legislative Bodies are annually chosen — tlie
judges, however, hold their offices ad vitam aut cul»
pam. In the States of Maine and Connecticut, the
Executive and Legislative Bodies are appointed an-*
nually ; the Judiciary, however, is permanent. In
all these states, the right of suffrage, with some few
restrictions in regard to paupers, &c. is universal.

In contrast with this, it may be curious to take a
glance at the constitution of Virginia, the native
state of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Mun-
roe, which has always been remarkable in the Fede-
ral Congress for the assertion of the highest and
purest principles of republicanism. It must be ob-
served, however, that until 1829, the right of suf-
frage depended on a much higher territorial quali-
fication than at present. In that year, the consti-
tution was remodelled and liberalized by a conven-
tion of the inhabitants.

There are in Virginia two Legislative Bodies. The
members of the Lower House are chosen annually,
the senators every four years. These houses, by a
joint vote, elect the governor, who remains in office
three years. The judges are during good behaviour,

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COMPARED WITH THAT OF VIRGINIA. 217

or until removed by a concurreDt vote of both bouses,
two-tbirds being required to constitute the neces-
sary majority. The right of sufirage is vested in
every citizen possessed of a freehold of the value of
twenty-five dollars, or who has a life-interest in land
of the value of fifty dollars, or who shall own or
occupy a leasehold estate of the annual value of two
hundred dollars, &c.

There is thus presented the anomaly of the most
democratic state of the Union adhering to a consti-
tution comparatively aristocratic, and appending to
the right of sufirage a high territorial qualification ;
while the New England States, with institutions
more democratic than have ever yet been realized
in any other civilized community, are distinguished
as the advocates of a strong federal legislature, a
productive system of finance, the establishment of a
powerful navy, and such liberal expenditure at home
and abroad, as would tend to ensure respect and in-
fiuence to the government.

The truth seems to be, that the original polity of
these States partook of the patriarchal character,
and has not yet entirely lost its hold on the feelings

VOL. I. T

Digitized bV VjO0^lfe

218 POLITICAL PRINCIPLES

of the people. It was easy to maintain order in a
country where there was little temptation to crime ;
where, hy a day's labour, a man could earn the price
of an acre of tolerable land, and becoming a terri-
torial proprietor, of course, immediately partook of
the common impulse, to maintain the security of
property. Add to this the character of the people ;
their apathetic temperament, their habits of parsi-
mony, the religious impressions communicated by
their ancestors, and, above all, the vast extent of
fertile territory which acted as an escape- valve for
the more daring and unpribcipled part of the popu-
lation, and we shall have reasons enough, I imagine,
why the New Englanders could bear, without inju-
ry, a greater degree of political liberty than perhaps
any other people in the world.

But though the New Englanders had little ap-
prehension of glaring violations of law vrithin their
own territory, they had evidently no great confi-
dence in the wisdom and morality of their neigh-
bours. They were, therefore, in favour of a federal
legislature, strong enough to command respect, and
maintain order throughout the Union. Forming a

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OF THE NEW ENGLANDER8. 219

snfall minority of tbe confederated States, yet for
long subsequent to the Revolution, possessing by far
the greater share of the national capital, they felt that
they had more to lose than those around them, and
were consequently more solicitous to strengthen the
guarantees of public order. They would, therefore,
have been better satisfied had greater influence been
given to property, and would gladly have seen the
senate so constituted, as to act as a check on the
hasty impulses of the more popular chamber. With-
in their own limits there was no risk of domestic
disturbance. The most wealthy capitalist felt, that
from the citizens of his own province, he had no-
thing to apprehend. But it was to the federal legis-
lature alone, that they could look for security from
without, and they were naturally anxious that this
body should be composed of men with a deep inte-
rest in the stability of the Union, and representing
rather the deliberate opinions of their more intelli-
gent constituents, than the hasty and variable im-
pressions of the ignorant and vulgar.

The New England states have something approach-
ing to a religious establishment. In Massachusetts,

Digitized by VjOOQIC

220 RELIGION.

Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut, the
law requires each town to provide, by taxation, for
the support of the Protestant religion, leaving, how-
ever, to every individual, the choice of the particu-
lar sect to which he vrill contribute. In the other
States of the Union, every person is at liberty to act
as he pleases in regard to religion, which is regarded
solely as a relation between man and his Maker,
and any compulsory contribution would be consi-
dered a direct encroachment on personal liberty.
But if Christianity be a public benefit ; if it tend to
diminish crime and encourage the virtues essential
to the prosperity of a community, it is difficult to
see on what grounds its support and diffusion should
not form part of the duties of a legislature.

In these States, the education of the people is like-
wise the subject of legislative enactment. In Mas-
sachusetts, public schools are established in every
district, and supported by a tax levied on the public.
In Connecticut they are maintained in another man-
ner. By the charter of Charles the Second, this
colony extended across the Continent to the Pacific,
within the same parallels of latitude which bound it

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EDUCATION.

221

on the East It therefore included a large portion
of the present Statesof Pennsylvania and Ohio, which,
being sold, produced a sum amounting to L.270,000
sterling, the interest of which is exclusively devoted
to the purposes of education throughout the State.
This fund is now largely increased, and its annual
produce, I believe, is greater than the whole income
of the State arising from taxation.

In these public schools every citizen has not
only a right to have his children educated, but, as
in some parts of Germany, he is compelled by law
to exercise it. It is here considered essential to the
public interest that every man should receive so
much instruction as shall qualify him for a useful
member of the State. No member of society can be
considered as an isolated and abstract being, living
for his own pleasure, and labouring for his own ad-
vantage. In free States, especially, every man has
important political functions, which affect materially
not only his own well-being but that of his fellow-
citizens ; and it is surely reasonable to demand that
he shall at least possess such knoweledge as shall
render it possible for him to discharge his duties

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222 EDUCATION.

with advantage to the community. The policy which
attempts to check crime by the diffusion of know-
ledge, is the offspring of true political wisdom. It
gives a security to person and property, beyond that
afforded by the law, and looks for the improvement
of the people, not to the gibbet and the prison, bat
to increased intelligence, and a consequently keener
sense of moral responsibility.

Speaking generally, it may be said that every
New Englander receives the elements of education.
Reading and writing, even among the poorest class,
are universally diffused; arithmetic, I presume,
comes by instinct among this guessing, reckoning,
expecting, and calculating people. The school-mas-
ter has long been abroad in these States, deprived,
it is true, of his rod and ferule, but still most use-
fully employed. Up to a certain point he has done
wonders ; he has made his scholars as wise as him-
self, and it would be somewhat unreasonable to ex-
pect more. If it be considered desirable, however,
that the present range of popular knowledge should
be enlarged, the question then arises, who shall teach
the schoolmaster ? Who shall impress a pedagogue

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AMOUNT OF ACQUIREMENT. 223

(on the best terms with himself, and whose only
wonder is, ^^ that one small head should carry all he
knows,") with a due sense of his deficiencies, and
lead him to admit that there are more things be-
tween heaven and earth than are dreamt of in his
philosophy ? A New Englander passes through the
statutory process of education, and enters life with
the intimate conviction that he has mastered, if not
the omne scibile, at least every thing valuable within
the domain of intellect. It never occurs to him as
possible, that he may have formed a wrong conclu-
sion on any question, however intricate, of politics or
religion. He despises all knowledge abstracted from
the business of the world, and prides himself on his
stock of practical truths. In mind, body, and estate,
he believes himself the first and noblest of God's
creatures. The sound of triumph is ever on his
lips, and, like a man who has mounted the first step
of a ladder, it is his pride to look down on his neigh-
bours, whom he overtops by an inch, instead of di-
recting his attention to the great height yet to be
sarmounted.
. This folly, indeed, is not peculiar to the New £ng-

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224 AMOUNT OF ACgUIREMENT.

lander, though in him it is more strongly marked
than in the inhabitants of the other States. It enters
into the very essence of his character ; it is part and
parcel of him, and its eradication would involve
an entire change of being. << A blessing be on him
who first invented sleep,'' says Sancho Panza, ^* for
it covers a man all over like a cloak." And even so
^ Jonathan may bless his vanity. He is encased in it
from top to toe ; it is a panoply of proof, which ren-
ders him invulnerable equally to ridicule and argu-
ment

If to form a just estimate of ourselves and others,
be the test of knowledge, the New Englander is the
most ignorant of mankind. There is a great deal
that is really good and estimable in his charac-
ter, but, after all, he is not absolutely the ninth
wonder of the world. I know of no benefit that
could be conferred on him equal to convincing him
of this truth. He may be assured that the man who
~>j||nows nothing, and is aware of his ignorance, is a
wiser and more enviable being than he who knows
a little, and imagines that he knows all. The extent
of our ignorance is a far more profitable object of

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BENEFITS OF EDUCATION. 225

contemplation than that of our knowledge. Discon-
tent with our actual amount of acquirement is the
indispensable condition of possible improvement. It
is to be wished that Jonathan would remember this.
He may rely on it, he will occupy a higher place in
the estimation of the world, whenever he has ac-
quired the wisdom to think more humbly of him-
self.

The New England free-schools are establishments
happily adapted to the wants and character of the
people. They have been found to work admirably,
and too much praise cannot be bestowed on the en-
lightened policy which, from the very foundation of
the colony, has never once lost sight of the great
object of diffusing education through every cottage
within its boundaries. It will detract nothing from
the honour thus justly due, to mention that the
establishment of district schools was not an original
achievement of New England intelligence. The
parish-schools of Scotland (to say nothing of Ger-*^
many) had existed long before the pilgrim fathers
ever knelt in worship beneath the shadows of the
hoary forest trees. The principle of the establish-

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226 SYSTEM OF EDUCATION IN SCOTLAND

ments in both countries is the same, the only dif-
ference is in the details. In Scotland the land-own-
ers of each parish contribute the means of educa-
tion for the body of the people. The schoolhouse
and dwelling-house of the master are provided and
kept in repair by an assessment on the land, which
is likewise burdened with the amount of his salary.
It has been an object, however, wisely kept in
view, that instruction at these seminaries shall not be
wholly gratuitous. There are few even of the poorest
order in Scotland who would not consider it a degra-
dation to send their children to a charity, school, and
the feeling of independence, is perhaps the very last
which a wise legislator will venture to counteract. It
is to be expected, too, that when the master depends
on the emolument to be derived from his scholars, he
will exert himself more zealously than when his
remuneration arises from a source altogether inde-
pendent of his own efforts. The sum demanded from
the scholars, however, is so low, that instruction is
placed within the reach of the poorest cottager ; and
instances are few indeed, in which a child bom
in Scotland is suffered to grow up without sufficient

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COMPARED WITH THAT IN NEW ENGLAND. 22*7

instruction to enable him to discharge respectably
the duties of the situation he is destined to fill.

When Mr Brougham, however, brought forward
in the British Parliament his plan of national edu-
cation, which consisted mainly in the establishment
throughout the kingdom of parish-schools, similar to
those in Scotland, one of the most eminent indivi-
duals of the Union* did not hesitate to arrogate the
whole merit of the precedent for New England. I
have more than once since my arrival heard Mr
Brougham accused of unworthy motives, in not pub-
licly confessing that his whole project was founded
on the example set forth for imitation in this favoured
region. It was in vain that I pleaded the circum-
stances above stated, the company were evidently
determined to believe their own schools without
parallel in the world, and the Lord Chancellor will
assuredly go down to his grave unabsolved from this
weighty imputation.

In character there are many points of resemblance
between the Scotch and New Englanders. There is

* Mr Webster, in his speech delivered at Plymouth, in commemo-
ration of the first settlement of New England.

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228 COMPARISON BETWEEN THE CHARACTER

the same sobriety, love of order, and perseverance in
both ; the same attachment to religion, mingled witlf
more caution in Sanders, and more enterprise in
Jonathan. Both are the inhabitants of a poor country,
and both have become rich by habits of steady in-
dustry and frugality* Both send forth a large por-
tion of their population to participate in the wealth
of more favoured regions. The Scot, however, never
loses his attachment to his native land. It has pro-
bably been to him a rugged nurse, yet, wander where
he will, its heathy mountains are ever present to
his imagination, and he thinks of the bleak muirland
cottage in which he grew from infancy to manhood,
as a spot encircled by a halo of light and beauty.
Whenever fortune smiles on him, he returns to his
native village, and the drama of his life closes where
it commenced.

There is nothing of this local attachment about
the New Englander. His own country is too poor
and too populous to afford scope for the full exer-
cise of his enterprise and activity. He therefore
shoulders his axe, and betakes himself to distant
regions ; breaks once and for ever all the ties of kin-

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OF THE SCOTCH AND NEW EN6LANDERS. 229

dred and connexion, and without one longing linger-
ing lookj bids farewell to all the scenes of his in-
fancy.

In point of morality, I mast be excused for giving
the decided preference to my countrymen. The Scotch
have established throughout the world a high cha-
racter for honesty, sobriety, and steady industry.
Jonathan is equally sober and industrious, but his
reputation for honesty is at a discount. The whole
Union is full of stories of his cunning frauds, and
of the impositions he delights to perpetrate on his
more simple neighbours. Whenever his love of money
comes in competition with his zeal for religion, the
latter is sure to give way* He will insist on the
scrupulous observance of the Sabbath, and cheat his
customer on the Monday morning. His life is a
comment on the text, Qui fesHnat diiescere, non erit
innocens. The whole race of Yankee pedlars, in
particular, are proverbial for dishonesty. These
go forth annually in thousands to lie, cog, cheat,
swindle, in short, to get possession of their neigh-
bour's property, in any manner it can be done with
impunity. Their ingenuity in deception is confess-

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230 NEW ENGLAND iPEDLARS.

edly very great. They warrant broken watches to
be the best time-keepers in the world ; sell pinch-
beck trinkets for gold; and have always a large
assortment of wooden nutmegs, and stagnant baro-
meters. In this respect they resemble the Jews, of
which race, by the by, I am assured, there is not a
single specimen to be found in New England. There
is an old Scotch proverb, " Corbies never pick out
corbies' een."

The New Englanders are not an amiable people.
One meets in them much to approve, little to admire,
and nothing to love. They may be disliked, how-
ever, but they cannot be despised. There is a degree
of energy and sturdy independence about them, in-
compatible with contempt. Abuse them as we may,
it must still be admitted they are a singular and
original people. Nature, in framing a Yankee, seems
to have given him double brains, and half heart.

Wealth is more equally distributed in the New
England states, than perhaps in any other country
of the world. There are here no overgrown for-
tunes. Abject poverty is rarely seen, but moderate
opulence everywhere. This is as it should be. Who

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EQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH. 231

would wish for the introdaction of the palace, if it
must be accompanied by the Poor's-house ?*

There are few beggars to be found in the streets of
Boston, but some there are, both there and at New
York. These, however, I am assured, are all foreign-
ers, or people of colour, and my own observations
go to confirm the assertion. Niuct tenths of those
by whom I have been importuned for charity, were
evidently Irish. The number of negroes in Boston
is comparatively small. The servants, in the better
houses at least, are generally whites, but I have not
been able to discover that the prejudices which, in
the other States, condemn the poor African to de-
gradation, have been at all modified or diminished
by the boasted intelligence of the New Englanders.

* The observations on the New England character in the present
chapter, would perhaps have been more appropriately deferred till a
later period of the work. Having written them, however, they must
now stand where chance has placed them. I have only to beg they
may be taken, not as the hasty impressions received during a few
days or weeks residence in Boston, but as the final result of my obser-
vations on this interesting people, both in their own states, and in
other portions of the Union.

This observation is equally applicable to the opinions expressed in
different parts of these volumes, and I must request the reader to be
good enough to bear it in mind.

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232 BARBARISMS IN LANGUAGE.

Though the schoolmaster has long exercised his
vocation in these States, the fruit of his labours is
but little apparent in the language of his pupils.
The amount of bad grammar in circulation is very
great ; that of barbarisms enormous. Of course, I
do not now speak of the operative class, whose mas-
sacre of their mother- tongue, however inhuman,
could excite no astonishment; but I allude to the
great body of lawyers and traders ; the men who
crowd the exchange and the hotels ; who are to be
heard speaking in the courts, and are selected by
their fellow-citizens to 611 high and responsible offices.
Even by this educated and respectable class, the
commonest words are often so transmogrified as to
be placed beyond the recognition of an Englishman.
The word does is split into two syllables, and pro-
nounced do-es. Where, for some incomprehensible
reason, is converted into wliare, there into thare; and
I remember, on mentioning to an acquaintance that
I had called on a gentleman of taste in the arts, he
asked, ^^ Whether he shew (showed) me his pictures."
Such words as oratory and dilatory, are pronounced
with the penult syllable, long and accented; mis-

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BARBARISMS IN LANGUAGE. 233

fiionary becomes missionairy, angel, dnffel, danger,
ddnffer, &c.

But this is not all. The Americans have chosen
arbitrarily to change the meaning of certain old and
established English words, for reasons which they
cannot explain, and which I doubt much whether
any European philologist could understand. The
word clever affords a case in point. It has here no
connexion with talent, and simply means pleasant
or amiable. Thus a good-natured blockhead in the
American vernacular, is a clever man, and having
had this drilled into me, I foolishly imagined that all
trouble with regard to this word at least, was at an
end. It was not long, however, before I heard of a
gentleman having moved into a clever house, of an-
other succeeding to a clever sum of money, of a third
embarking in a clever ship, and nfoking a clever voy-
age, with a clever cargo ; and of the sense attached to
the word in these various combinations, I could gain
nothing like satisfactory explanation.

With regard to the meaning intended to be con-
veyed by an American in conversation, one is some-
times left utterly at large. I remember, after con-

VOL. I. u

Digitized by VjOOQIC

234 BARBARISMS IN LANGUAGE*

versing with a very plain, but very agreeable lady,

being asked whether Mrs was not a very Jlne

woman. I believe I have not more conscience than
my neighbours in regard to a compliment, but in the
present ease there seemed something so ludicrous in
the application of the term, that I found it really
impossible to answer in the affirmative. I therefore
ventured to hint, that the personal charms of Mrs

were certainly not her principal attraction, but

that I had rarely enjoyed the good fortune of meet-
ing a lady more pleasing and intelligent. This led
to an explanation, and I learned that in the dialect
of this country, the term Jine tooman refers exclu-
sively to the intellect.

The privilege of barbarizing the King's English is
assumed by all ranks and conditions of men. Such
words as slick^ kedge^ and hoss^ it is true, are rarely
used by the better orders ; but they assume unlimited
liberty in the use of ** expect,'* " reckon," " guess,"
"calculate," and perpetrate conversational anomalies
with the most remorseless impunity. It were easy to
accumulate instances, but I will not go on with this
unpleasant subject ; nor should I have alluded to it.

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BARBARISMS IN LANGUAGE. 235

but that I feel it something of a duty to express the
natural feeling of an Englishman, at finding the lan-
guage of Shakspeare and Milton thus gratuitously
degraded. Unless the present progress of change be
arrested, by an increase of taste and judgment in the
more educated classes, there can be no doubt that,
in another century, the dialect of the Americans vnll
become utterly unintelligible to an Englishman, and
that the nation will be cut off from the advantages
arising from their participation in British literature.
If they contemplate such an event with complacency,
let them go on and prosper ; they have only to *^pro-
ffress" in their presi^nt course, and their grandchil-
dren bid fair to speak a jargon as novel and peculiar
as the most patriotic American linguist can desire.

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236 BOSTON SOCIETY.

CHAPTER VIIL

NEW ENGLAND.

Having directed the attention of the reader to
some of the more prominent defects of the New Eng-
land character, it is only justice to add, that in Boston
at least, there exists a circle almost entirely exempt
from them. This is composed of the first-rate mer-
chants and lawyers, leavened by a small sprinkling
of the clergy, and, judging of the quality of the
ingredients, from the agreeable effect of the mixture,
I should pronounce them excellent. There is much
taste for literature in this circle ; much liberality of
sentiment, a good deal of accomplishment, and a
greater amount, perhaps, both of practical and spe-
culative knowledge, than the population of any
other mercantile city could supply. In such society

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BOSTON SOCIETY. 237

it is possible for an Englishman to express his opi-
nions without danger of being misunderstood, and
he enjoys the advantage of free interchange of
thought, and correcting his own hasty impressions
by comparison with the results of more mature ex-
perience and sounder judgment.

It certainly struck me as singular, that while the
great body of the New Englanders are distinguished
above every other people I have ever known by bi-
gotry and narrowness of mind, and an utter disre-
gard of those delicacies of deportment which indicate
benevolence of feeling, the higher and more enlight-
ened portion of the community should be peculiarly
remarkable for the display of qualities precisely the
reverse. Nowhere in the United States will the feel-
ings, and even prejudices of a stranger, meet with
such forbearance as in the circle to which I allude.
Nowhere are the true delicacies of social intercourse
more scrupulously observed, aiid nowhere will a
traveller mingle in society, where his errors of opi-
nion will be more rigidly detected or more chari-
tably excused. I look back on the period of my resi-
dence in Boston with peculiar pleasure. I trust there

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238 BOSTON SOCIETY.

are individuals there who regard me as a friend, and
I know of nothing in the more remote contingencies
of life, which I contemplate with greater satisfaction,
than the possibility of renewing in this country, with
at least some of the number, an intercourse which I
found so gratifying in their own.

In externals, the society of Boston differs little
from that of New York. There is the same routine
of dinners and parties, and in both the scale of ex-
pensive luxury seems nearly equal. In Boston, how-
ever, there ii^^ more literature, and this circumstance
has proportionally enlarged the range of conversa-
tion. An Englishman is a good deal struck in Ame-
rica with the entire absence of books, as articles of
furniture. The remark, however, is not applicable
to Boston. There, works of European literature,
evidently not introduced for the mere purpose of dis-
play, are generally to be found, and even the draw-
ing-room sometimes assumes the appearance of a
library.

The higher order of the New Englanders offers no
exception to that grave solemnity of aspect, which is
the badge of all their tribe. The gentlemen are more

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BOSTON SOCIETY. 239

given than is elsewhere usual, to the discussion of
abstract polemics, both in literature and religion.
There is a moral pugnacity about them, which is
not offensive, because it is never productive of any-
thing like wrangling, and is qualified by a very large
measure of philosophical tolerance. The well-inform-
ed Bostonian is a calm and deliberative being. His
decision, on any point, may be influenced by interest,
but not by passion. He is rarely contented, like the
inhabitants of other states, with taking the plain and
broad features of a case ; he enters into all the re-
finements of which the subject is capable, discrimi-
nates between the plausible and the true, establishes
the precise limits of fact and probability, and with
unerring accuracy fixes on the weak point in the ar-
gument of his opponent. Of all men he is the least
liable, I should imagine, to be misled by any general
assertion of abstract principle. He uniformly car-
ries into the business of common life a certain prac-
tical good sense, and never for a moment loses sight
of the results of experience. In politics he will not
consent to go the whole Iwg^ or, in other words, to
hazard a certain amount of present benefit, for the

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240 LADIES OF BOSTON*

promise, however confident, of new and untried ad-
vantages.

Of the ladies of Boston I did not see much, and
can therefore only speak in doubtful terms of the
amount of their attractions. Unfortunately it is still
less the fashion, than at New York, to enliven the
dinner-table with their presence, and, during my
stay, I was only present at one ball. But the im-
pression I received was certainly very favourable.
These fair New Englanders partake of the endemic
gravity of expression, which sits well on them, be-
cause it is natural. In amount of acquirement, I
believe they are very superior to any other ladies of
the Union. They talk well and gracefully of novels
and poetry, are accomplished in music and the living
languages, and though the New York ladies charge
them with being dowdyish in dress, I am not sure
that their taste in this respect is not purer, as it cer-
tainly is more simple, than that of their fair accusers.

The habits of the Bostonians are, I believe, more
domestic than is common in the other cities of the
Union. The taste for reading contributes to this,
by rendering both families and individuals less de-

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ARISTOCRATIC FEELING. 241

pendent on society. A strong aristocratic feeling is
apparent in the families of older standing. The
walls of the apartments are often covered with the
portraits of their ancestors, armorial bearings are
in general use, and antiquity of blood is no less va-
lued here than in England. The people, too, dis-
play a fondness for title somewhat at variance with
their good sense in other matters. The governor of
Massachusetts receives the title of Excellency. The
President of the United States claims no such
honour. The members of the Federal Senate are
addressed generally in the northern states, with the
prefixture of Honourable, but the New Englanders
go further, and extend the same distinction to the
whole body of representatives, a practice followed
in no other part of the Union.

Such trifles often afford considerable insight to the
real feelings of a people. Nowhere are mere nomi-
nal distinctions at so high a premium as in this re-
publican country. Military titles are caught at with
an avidity, which to an Englishman appears abso-
lutely ridiculous. The anomaly of learned majors

VOL. I. X

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242 • FONDNESS FOB TITLE.

at the bar addressing learned colonels or generals on
the bench is not uncommon, and as the privates of
militia enjoy the privilege of electing their officers,
of course the principle of choice is by no means
the possession of military knowledge. In a thinly-
peopled country, whiere candidates of a better class
are not to be had, it must often happen, that the
highest military rank is bestowed on men of the very
lowest station in society. This circumstance, it^might
be expected, would bring this class of honours into
disrepute, and that, like the title of knight- bachelor
in England, they would be avoided by the better
order of citizens. This, however, is by no means
the case. Generals, colonels, and majors, swarm all
over the Union, and the titular distinction is equally
coveted by the President and the senator, the judge
on the bench and the innkeeper at the bar.

There is far more English feeling in Boston than
I was prepai*ed to expect. The people yet feel pride
in the country of their forefathers, and even retain
somewhat of reverence for her ancient institutions.
At the period of my visit, the topic of Parliamentary
Reform was naturally one of peculiar interest. The

* Digitized by VjOOQIC

POLITICAL SENTIMENTS. 243

revolution in France had communicated a strong
impulse to opinion in England, and the policy to
be adopted by the ministry in regard to this great
question, was yet unknown. The subject, therefore,
in all its bearings, was very frequently discussed
in the society of Boston. It was one on which
I had anticipated little difference of opinion among
the citizens of a republic* Admitting that their
best wishes were in favour of the prosperity of Bri-
tain, and the stability of her constitution, I expected
that their judgment would necessarily point to great
and immediate changes in a monarchy confessedly
not free from abuse. For myself, though considered,
I believe, as something of a Radical at home, I had
come to the United States prepared to bear the
imputation of Toryism ai;nong a people whose ideas
of liberty were carried so much further than my
own.

In all these anticipations I was mistaken. Strange
to say, I found myself quite as much a Radical in
Boston, and very nearly as much so in New York, as.
I had been considered in England. It was soon appa-
rent that the great majority of the more enlightened

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244 POLITICAL SENTIMENTS.

dass in both cities, regarded any great and sudden
change in the British institutions as pregnant with
the most imminent danger. In their eyes the chance
of ultimate advantage was utterly insignificant, when
weighed against the certainty of immediate peril.
" You at present,*' they said, ** enjoy more practi-
cal freedom than has ever in the whole experience of
mankind been permanently secured to a nation by
any institutions. Your government^ whatever may
be its defects, enjoys at least this inestimable advan-
tage, that the habits of the people are adapted to it.
This cannot be the case in regard to any change,
however calculated to be ultimately beneficial. The
process of moral adaptation is ever slow and preca-
rious, and the experience of the world demonstrates
that it is far better that the intelligence of a people
should be in advance of their institutions, than that
the institutions should precede the advancement of
the people. In the former case, however theoreti-
cally bad, their laws will be practically modified by
the influence of public opinion ; in the latter, however
good in themselves, they cannot be secure or bene-
ficial in their operation. We speak as men whose

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POLITICAL SENTIMENTS. 245

opinions have been formed from experience, under
a government, popular in the widest sense of the
term. As 'friends, we caution you to beware. We
pretend not to judge whether change be necessary.
If it be, we trust it will at least be gradual ; that your
statesmen will approach the work of reform, with
the full knowledge that every single innovation will
occasion the necessity of many. The appetite for
change in a people grows with what it feeds on. It
is insatiable. Go as far as you will, at some point
you must stop, and that point will be short of the
wish of a large portion — ^probably of a numerical
majority — of your population. By no concession
does it appear to us that you can avert the battle
that awaits you. You have but the choice whe-
ther the great struggle shall be for reform or pro-
perty."

I own I was a good deal surprised by the pre-
valence of such opinions among the only class of
Americans whose judgment as to matters of govern-
ment, could be supposed of much value. As it was
my object to acquire as much knowledge as possible
with regard to the real working of the American

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246 TA8TE FOR THE ARTS.

constitution on the habits and feelings of the people^;
I was always glad to listen to political discussion
between enlightened disputants. This carried with it
at least the advantage of affording an indication to
the prevailing tone of thought and opinion, in a con*
dition of society altogether different from any within
the range of European experience. At present I
have only alluded to the subject of politics at all, as
illustrative of a peculiar feature in the New England
character. At a future period, I shall have occasion
to view the subject under a different aspect*

The comparative diffusion of literature in Boston,
has brought with it a taste for the fine arts. The
better houses are adorned with pictures ; and in the
Athenseum-^a public library and reading-room — is
a collection of casts from the antique. Establish*
ments for the instruction of the people in the higher
branches of knowledge, are yet almost unknown in
the United States, but something like a Mechanics*
Institute has at length been got up in Boston, and I
went to hear the introductory lecture. The apart-
ment, a large one, was crowded by an audience
whose appearance and deportment were in the high-
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ARTISTS. 247

est degree orderly and respectable. The lectare was
on the steam-engine, the history, principle, and con-
struction of which were explained most Incidly by
a lecturer, who belonged, I was assured, to the class
of operative mechanics.

Boston can boast having produced some eminent
artists, at the head of whom is Mr Alston, a painter,
confessedly of fine taste, if not of high genius. His
taste, however, unfortunately renders him too fas-
tidious a critic on his own performances, and he has
now been upwards of ten years in painting an his-
torical subject, which is yet unfinished. This surely
is mere waste of life and labour. Where a poet or
painter has a strong grasp of his subject, he finds no
difficulty in embodying his conceptions. The idea
which requires years of fostering, and must be
cherished and cockered into life, is seldom worth the
cost of its nurture* Mr Alston should remember that
a tree is judged by the quantity as well as by the
quality of its fruit. Had Raphael, Rubens, or Titian,
adopted such a process of elaboration, how many of
the noblest specimens of art would have been lost to
the world !

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248 ARTISTS,

I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with
Mr Harding, a painter of much talent, and very
considerable genius. His history is a singular one.
During the last war with Great Britain, he was a
private soldier, and fought in many of the battles
on the frontier. At the return of peace, he ex-
changed the sword for the pallet, and without in-
struction of any kind, attained to such excellence,
that his pictures attracted much notice, and some
little encouragement. But America affords no field
for the higher walks of art, and Harding, with
powers of the first order, and an unbounded enthu-
siasm for his profession, is not likely, I fear, to be
appreciated as he deserves. Some years ago he
visited England, where his talents were fast rising
into celebrity, but the strength of the amorpairuB un-
fortunately determined him to return to his native
land* I say unfortunately, because in England he
could scarcely have failed of attaining both wider
fame, and more liberal remuneration, than can well
be expected in America. The modesty of this artist
is no less remarkable than his genius. He uniformly
judges his own performances by the highest standard

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MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 249

of criticism, and is far rather disposed to exaggerate
than extenuate their defects. Such a character of
mind holds out high hopes of future achievement.
In truth, even now, he is deficient in nothing, but a
certain softness and finish, which time and a little
practice will undoubtedly supply.

The better society of Boston, I imagine, is some-
what more exclusive than that of New York. Both
pride of family, and pride of knowledge, contribute
to this, though there is no public or apparent asser-
tion of either. It is the custom on every Sunday
evening for the different branches of a family to
assemble at the house of one or other of its members.
This generally produces a very social and agreeable
party, and though a stranger, I was sometimes hos«
pitably permitted to join the circle. It certainly at
first appeared rather singular, that the Bostonians,
who are strict observers of the Sabbath, should select
that day for any festive celebration, however inno-
cent. I learned, however, that on the literal interpre-
tation of the assertion in Genesis, that ^< the evening
and the morning were the first day," the Sabbath is
not observed, as with us, from midnight to midnight,

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250 BEPARTURE FROM BOSTON.

but from suiiBet to sunset. In conformity with this
doctrine, the shops are generally closed at twilight
on Saturday evening, and all business is suspended.
Of course, after sunset on the day following^ they
consider themselves discharged from further reli-
gious observance, and the evening is generally de-
voted to social intercourse.

Having passed nearly three weeks in Boston, it
became necessary that I should direct my steps to
the southward. I determined to return to New York
by land, being anxious to see something of the coun-
try, and more than I had yet done of its inhabitants.
The festivities of Christmas, therefore, were no sooner
over, than I quitted Boston, with sentiments of deep
gratitude for a kindness, which, from the hour of my
arrival, to that of my departure, had continued
unbroken.

I have already described an American stage-coach.
The one in which I now travelled, though distin-
guished by the title of *^ mail-stage," could boast
no peculiar attraction. It was old and rickety, and
the stuffing of the cushions had become' so conglo-
merated into hard and irregular masses, as to im-

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JOURNEY TO WORCESTER. 251

press the passengers with the conyiction of being
seated on a bag of pebbles. Fortunately it was not
crowded) and the road, though rough, was at least
better jthan that on which I had been jolted on my
journey from Providence. It was one o'clock before
we got fairly under way, and it is scarcely possible, I
imagine, for a journey to commence under gloomier
auguries. The weather was most dismal. The wind
roared loudly among the branches of the leafless trees,
and beat occasionally against the carriage in gusts so
violent, as to threaten its overthrow. At length the
clouds opened, and down came a storm of snow,
which, in a few minutes, had covered the whole
surface of the country, as with a winding-sheet.

The first night we slept at Worcester, a town con-
taining about 3000 inhabitants, which the guide-
book declares to contain a bank, four printing-offices,
a court-house, and a gaol, assertions which I can
pretend neither to corroborate nor deny. Its appear-
ance, however, as I observed on the following morn-
ing, was far from unprepossessing ; the streets were
clean, and round the town stood neat and pretty-
looking villas, which ml^t have been still prettier.

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252 NEW ENGLAND INN.

had they displayed less gaudy and tasteless decora*
tion.

As the county court, — or some other, — was then
sitting, the inn was crowded with lawyers and their
clients, at leastfifty of whom already occupied the pub-
lic saloUy which was certainly not more than twenty
feet square. The passengers were left to scramble out
of the coach as they best could in the dark, and
afterwards to explore their way without the smallest
notice, beyond that of a broad stare from the master
of the house. On entering the room, I stood for
some time, in the hope that a party who engrossed
the whole fire, would compassionate our half-frozen
condition, and invite our approach. Nothing, how-
ever, was farther from their thoughts than such be-
nevolence. " Friend, did you come by the stage?"
asked a man immediately in my front, <^ I guess you
found it tarnation cold." I assured him his conjec-
ture was quite correct, but the reply had not the
effect of inducing any relaxation of the blockadeJ I
soon 'observed, however, that my fellow-travellers
elbowed their way without ceremony, and by adopt-
ing Rodney's manceuvre of cutting the line, had

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. NEW ENGLAND INN. 253

already gained a comfortable position in rear of
the cordon. I therefore did not hesitate to follow
their example, and pushing resolutely forward, at
length enjoyed the sight and warmth of the blazing
embers.

In about half an hour, the ringing of a bell gave
welcome signal of supper, and accompanying my
fellow-passengers to the eating-room, we found a
plentiful meal awaiting our appearance. On the score
of fare there was ce;rtainly no cause of complaint.
There were dishes of beef-steaks — which in this
country are generally about half the size of a news-
paper, — broiled fowl, ham, cold turkey, toast — not
made in the English fashion, but boiled in melted
butter, — a kind of crumpet called waffles, &c. &c.
The tea and coffee were poured out and handed by
a girl with long ringlets and ear-rings, not remarkable
for neatness of apparel, and who remained seated,
unless when actually engaged in the discharge of
her functions. Nothing could exceed the gravity of
her expression and deportment, and there was an air
of cool indifference about her mode of ministering
to the wants of the guests, which was certainly far

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254 NEW ENGLAND INN.

from prepossessing. This New England Hebe»
however, was good-looking, and with the addition
of a smile would have been pleasing.

Having concluded the meal, I amused myself on
our return to the public room, by making observa-
tions on the company. The clamour of Babel could
not have been much worse than that which filled the
apartment. I attempted to discriminate between
lawyer and client, but the task was not easy. There
was in both the same keen and callous expression
of worldly anxiety ; the same cold selfishness of look
and manner. The scene altogether was not agreeable;
many of the company were without shoes, others
without a cravat, and compared with people of the
same class in England, they were dirty both in
habit and person. It is always unpleasant to mingle
in a crowd, with the consciousness that you have no
sympathy or fellow-feeling with the individuals that
compose it. I therefore soon desisted from my task
of observation, and having fully digested the con-
tents of a Worcester newspaper, determined on re- '
tiring for the night.

The process in England in such circumstances, is

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NEW ENGLAND INN, 255

to ring for the chamber-maid, but in America there
are no bells, and no chamber-maids. You there-
fore walk to the bar, and solicit the favour of being
supplied with a candle, a request which is ultimately,
though by no means immediately, complied with.
You then explore the way to your apartment unas-
sisted, and with about the same chance of success as
the enterprising Parry in his hunt after the north-
west passage. Your number is 63, but in what part
of the mansion that number is to be found, you are
of course without the means of probable conjecture.
Let it be supposed, however, that you are more for-
tunate than Captain Parry, and at length discover
the object of your search. If you are an English-
man, and too young to have roughed it under Wel-
lington, you are probably, what in this country is
called " mighty particular ;" rejoice in a couple of
comfortable pillows, to say nothing of a lurking pre-
judice in favour of multiplicity of blankets, especi-
ally with the thermometer some fifty degrees below
the freezing point. Such luxuries, however, it is
ten to one you will not find in the uncurtained crilb
in which you are destined to pass the night. Your

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256 NEW ENGLAND INN.

first impulse, therefore, is to walk down stairs and
make known your wants to the landlord. This is a
mistake. Have nothing to say to him. You may
rely on it, he is much too busy to have any time
to throw away in humouring the whimsies of a
foreigner; and should it happen, as it does some-
times in the New England States, that the establish-
ment is composed of natives, your chance of a com-
fortable sleep for the night, is about as great as that
of your gaining the Thirty Thousand pound prize in
the lottery. But if there are black, and, still better,
if there are Irish servants, your prospect of comfort
is wonderfully improved. A douceur, judiciously
administered, generally does the business, and when
you at length recline after the fatigues of the day,
you find your head has acquired at least six inches
additional elevation, and the superincumbent weight
of woollen has been largely augmented.

It was at Worcester that I received this most use-
ful information. Being in want of the above-men-
tioned accommodations, I deputed my servant to
make an humble representation of my necessities to

the landlord. The flinty heart of Boniface, however,
6

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JOURNEY TO SPRINGFIELD. 257

was not to be moved. The young- lady with the
ringlets and ear-rings was no less inexorable, but,
luckily for me, a coloured waiter was not proof
against the eloquence of a quarter dollar. In five
minutes the articles were produced, and as sailors say,
" I tumbled in" for the night, with a reasonable
prospect of warmth and comfort.

After a good breakfast on the following morning,
I felt again fortified for the perils and disagreeables
of the mail-stage. Mr Harding, to whose merits as
an artist I have already alluded, was fortunately a
fellow-passenger, being on his way to join his family
at Springfield. The only other passenger was a
young lady, with an enormous band-box on her
knee, to whom Mr Harding introduced me. There
was something in this fair damsel and her band-box
peculiarly interesting. She sat immediately oppo-
site to me, but nothing of her face or person was
visible, except a forehead, a few dark ringlets, and
a pair of the most beautiful eyes in the world, which,
like the sun just peeping above the horizon, sent the
brightest flashes imaginable, along the upper level of
this Brobdignag of a band-box.

VOL. I. Y

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268 FAIR TSE-W EN6LAKDER.

The snow had continued to fall during the night,
and the jolting of the " mail-stage " was certainly
any thing but agreeable. When out of humour,
however, by the united influence of the weather and
the road, I had only to direct a single glance to-
wards the beautiful orbs scintillating in my front, to
be restored to equanimity. When any thing at all
jocular was said, one could read a radiant laughter
in this expressive feature, though her lips gave
utterance to no sound of merriment. For about five
hours the fair oculist continued our fellow-traveller,
and I had at length come to think of her as some
fantastic and preternatural creation ;* such a being
as one sometimes reads of in a German romance,
half band-box, and half eye.

At length she left the coach. When her band-
box was about to be removed from its position, I re-
member averting my face, lest a view of her counte-
nance might destroy the fanciful interest she had
excited. She departed, therefore, unseen ; but those
eyes will live in my memory, long after all record
of her fellow-traveller shall have faded from hers.

After her departure, Harding told me her story ;

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ARRIVAL AT SPRINGFIELD. 259

she was a yoang lady of respectable connexions,
and with the consent of her family, had become en-
gaged to a young man, who afterwards proved false
to his vows, and married a wealthier bride. She
had saffered severely under this disappointment, and
was then going on a visit to her aunt at Northamp-
ton, in the hope that change of scene might contri-
bute to the restoration of her tranquillity. That this
result would follow I have no doubt. Those eyes were
too laughing and brilliant, to belong permanently to
a languishing and broken-hearted maiden.

We dined at a tolerable inn, and proceeded on
our journey. The snow had ceased ; there was a
bright sun above, but I never remember to have felt
cold so intense. It was late before we reached
Springfield, where I had determined on making a
day's halt. The inn was comfortable, and I suc-
ceeded in procuring private apartments. On the fol-^
lowing morning I took a ramble over the village,
which is by far the gayest I had yet seen in the
course of my tour. It abounds with white frame-
work villas, with green Venetian blinds, and porti-
coes of Corinthian or Ionic columns sadly out of

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260 FEATURES OF THE COUNTRY.

proportion. It appears to me, however, that mas-
sive columns — and columns not apparently massive
at least, must be absurd — ^are sadly out of place when
attached to a wooden building. When such fragile
materials are employed, lightness should be the chief
object of the architect, but these transatlantic Palla-
dios seem to despise the antiquated notions of fitness
and proportion which prevail in other parts of the
world* . They heap tawdry ornament upon their
gingerbread creations, and you enter a paltry clap-
board cott£^e, through — what is at least meant for —
a splendid colonnade.

In the country through which I passed, the houses
are nearly all of the class which may be called
comfortable. The general spenery at a more favour-
rable season I can easily conceive to be pretty. The
chief defect is the utter flimsiness of the houses, and
the glaring e£Fect arising from the too profuse use
of the paint-brush. They are evidently not calcu*
lated to last above fifteen or twenty years, and this
extreme fragility renders more glaring the absurdity
of that profusion of gewgaw decoration in which the
richer inhabitants delight to indulge.

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FEATURES OF THE COUNTRY, 261

The country is too new for a landscape painter.
With variety of surface, and abundance of wood and
water, an artist will certainly find many scenes wor-
thy of his pencil, but the worm fences, and the fresh-
ness and regularity of the houses, are sadly destruc-
tive of the picturesque. Had the buildings been of
more enduring materials, time, the beautifier, would
have gradually mellowed down their hai'dness of out-
line, and diminished the unpleasant contrast which
is here so obtrusively apparent between the works of
man and those of nature. But at present there is
no chance of this. Each generation builds for itself,
and even the human frame is less perishable than
the rickety and flimsy structures erected for its
comfort.

The advantages of a country, however, are not to
be measured by the degree of gratification it may
administer to the taste or imagination of a traveller.
Where plenty is in the cottage, it matters but little
what figure it may make on the canvass of the
painter. I have travelled in many countries, but
assuredly never in any, where the materials of hap-
piness were so widely and plentifully diffused as in

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262 DIFFUSION OF COMFORT. *

these New England States. And yet the people are
not happy, or if they be, there is no fmth in Lavater.
Never have I seen countenances so furrowed by care
as those of this favoured people. Both soul and
body appear to have been withered up by the anxie-
ties of life; and with all appliances of enjoyment
within their reach, it seems as if some strange curse
had gone forth against them, which said, ^< Ye shall
7U>t enjoy." One looks in vain here for the ruddy
and jovial faces which in England meet us on every
hand. The full, broad, and muscular frame ; the
bold serenity of aspect; the smile, the laugh, the song,
the dance,-«-let not a traveller seek these, or any indi-
cations of a light heart and a contented spirit in the
New England States.

Let me not, however, be misunderstood. The dis-
tinction I would draw is simply this. The English-
man has the inclination to be happy, though not
always the means of happiness at command. The
New Englander, with a thousand blessings, is defi-
cient in what outvalues them all, the disposition to
enjoyment. He is inter opes inops.

Something of this misfortune, I have no doubt, is

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PILGRIM FATHERS. 263

attributable to climate, but I cannot help believing
it in a great degree hereditary. The pilgrim fathers
were certainly not men of a very enviable tempera-
ment. Full of spiritual pride, needy, bigoted, su-
perstitious, ignorant and despising knowledge, intol-
erant, fleeing from persecution in the Old World,
and yet bringing it with them to the New ; such
were the men to whom this people may trace many
of their peculiarities. That they were distinguished
by some of these qualities, was their misfortune ; that
they were marked by others, was their crime. They
and their descendants spread through the wilderness,
and solitude had not the effect of softening the aspe-
rities of faith or feeling. The spirit of social depend-
ence became broken; and as ages passed on, and
the increase of population, and the pursuits of gain,
induced them to collect in masses, the towns and vil-
lages became peopled with men of solitary habits,
relying on their own resources, and associating only
for the purposes of gain. Such, doubtless, the New
Englanders were ; and such they are now, to the
observation of a stranger, who is conscious of no
temptation to misrepresent them. .

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264 SPRINGFIELD.

The character of the New Englanders is a subject
on which I confess I feel tempted to be prolix. In
truth, it seems to me so singular and anomalous, so
compounded of what is valuable and what is vile,
that I never feel certain of having succeeded in ex-
pressing the precise combination of feeling which
it inspires. As a philanthropist, I should wish them
to be less grasping and more contented with the bless-
ings they enjoy, and would willingly barter a good
deal of vanity, and a little substantial knavery, for an
additional infusion of liberal sentiment, and gene-
rous feeling.

Springfield is the seat of one of the chief arsenals
and manufactories of arms in the United States.
An officer of artillery was good enough to conduct
me over these. Every thing seemed well managed,
and the machinery at all points very complete.
About twelve or thirteen thousand muskets are pro-
duced annually. My conductor was a particularly
well-informed and obliging person, who had lately
returned from Europe, where he had been sent to
receive instruction in regard to the recent improve-
ments in gunnery.

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UNITED STATES ARMY. 265

The officers of the United States army are better
paid than the English. A captain receives about
L.400 a-year, or about L.lOO more than a lieuten-
ant*colonel in our service. But there is this differ-
ence between the British army and that of the United
States ; no one can enter the latter for pleasure, or
to enjoy the enviable privilege of wearing an epaulet
and an embroidered coat. The service is one of real
and almost constant privation. The troops are scat-
tered about in forts and garrisons in remote and
unhealthy situations, and are never quartered, as
with us, in the great cities. The principal stations
are on the Canadian and Indian frontiers, and on
the Mississippi, and I imagine the sort of life they
lead there would not be greatly relished by his Ma-
jesty's Coldstream Guards or the Blues. I confess
I was rather surprised at the smallness of the United
States army. It amounts only to 6000 men inclu-
ding all arms, and I was certainly not less astonished
at the enormous proportion of desertions, which are
no less than 1000 annually, or one-sixth of the whole
numbers. Desertions in the British army do not
exceed one in a hundred.

VOL. I. z

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266 HARTFORD.

Od the following day the snow was so deep as to
render the road impassable for coaches, so with the
thermometer fifteen degrees below zero, I took a
sleigh for Hartford, where^ after a journey of five
hours, we were deposited in safety. Hartford is a
small and apparently a very busy town on the Con-
necticut river. It is rather remarkable as being the
seat of the celebrated convention, which, during the
late war with Britain, threatened the dissolution of
the Union.

I slept at Hartford. The inn was dirty, but this
disadvantage was more than counterbalanced by its
possession of an Irish waiter, to whom nothing was
impossible, and who bustled about in my behalf with
an activity and good-will which fortunately it was
not difficult to repay. The stage for Newhaven did
not start till late on the following day, and I had all
the morning on my hands. What to make of it I did
not know ; so I wandered about the town, saw the
College and the New Exchange Buildings, and a
church, and a gaol, and a school, and the Charter
Oak, and peeped into all the shops, and then re-
turned to the inn with the assured conviction that

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CHARACTERISTIC ANECDOTE* 267

Hartford is one of the stupidest places on the sur-
face of the globe. I may as well, however, relate a
circumstance which happened here, since it may
perhaps throw some light on the New England
character.

I had returned from my ramble, and was sitting
near the stove in the public room, engaged in the
dullest of all tasks, reading an American newspaper,
when a woman and a girl, about ten years old, en-
tered, cold and shivering, having just been dischar-
ged from a Boston stage-coach. The woman was
respectable in appearance^ rather good-looking, and
evidently belonging to what may in this country be
called the middling class of society. She imme-
diately enquired at what hour the steam- boat set off
for New York, and, on learning that owing to the
river being frozen up, it started from Newhaven,
some thirty miles lower, she was evidently much
discomposed, and informed the landlord, that calcu-
lating on meeting the steam-boat that morning at
Hartford, her pocket was quite unprepared for the
expense of a further land journey, and the charges

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268 CHABACTERISTIC ANECDOTE.

of different sorts necessarily occasioned by a day's
delay on tbe road.

The landlord shrugged np his shoulders and walk-
ed off; the Irish waiter looked at her with something
of a quizzical aspect, and an elderly gentleman,
engaged like myself in reading a newspaper, raised
his eyes for a moment, discharged his saliva on the
carpet, and then resumed his occupation. Though
evidently without a willing audience, the woman con-
tinued her complaints ; informed us she had left her
husband in Boston to visit her brother in New York ;
explained and re-explained the cause of her misfor-
tune, and a dozen times at least concluded by an
assurance, — of the truth of which the whole party
were quite satisfied,«-that she was sadly puzzled
what to do.

In such circumstances, I know not whether it was
benevolence, or a desire to put a stop to her detest-
able iteration, or a mingled motive compounded of
both, that prompted me to offer to supply her with
any money she might require. However, I did so,
and tbe offer, though not absolutely refused, was
certainly very ungraciously received. She stared at

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CHARACTERISTIC ANECDOTE. 269

me expressed no thanks, and again commenced the
detail of her grievances, of which, repetition had
something staled the infinite variety. I therefore
left the apartment. Shortly after the sleigh for
Newhaven drove up, and I had entirely forgotten
the amiable sufferer and her pecuniary affliction,
when she came up, and said, without any expres-
sion of civility, ** You offered me money, I'll take
it." I asked how much she wished. She answered,
sixteen dollars, which I immediately ordered my
servant to give her. Being a Scotchman, however,
he took the prudent precaution of requesting her
address in New York, and received a promise that
the amount of her debt should be transmitted to
Bunker's on the following day.

A week passed after my arrival in New York, and
I heard no more either of the dollars or my fellow-
traveller, and being curious to know whether I had
been cheated, I at length sent to demand repayment.
My servant came back with the money. He had
seen the woman, who expressed neither thanks nor
gratitude ; and on being asked why she had violated
her promise to discharge the debt, answered that she

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270 NEWHAVEK.

could not be at the trouble of sending tbe moDey,
for she supposed it was my business to ask. for it.
It should be added, that the house in which she
resided, was that of her brother, a respectable shop-
keeper in one of the best streets in New York,
whose establishment certainly betrayed no indica-
tion of poverty.

The truth is, that the woman was very far from
being a swindler. She was only a Yankee, and
troubled with an indisposition — somewhat endemic
in New England — to pay money. She thought, per-
haps, that a man who had been so imprudent as to
lend to a stranger, might be so negligent as to forget
to demand repayment. The servant might have lost
her address; in short, it was better to take the
chances, however* small, of ultimately kieeping the
money, than to restore it unasked. All this might
be very sagacious, but it certainly was not very high-
principled or very honest«

It was late before we reached Newhaven, and the
greater part of the journey was performed in the
dark. The inn was so crowded, that. the landlord
told me fairly he could not give me a bed. I then

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NEWHAVEN INN. 271

requested a sofa and a blanket, but with no greater
success. However, be proved better than his word.
I was shown to a sort of dog-hole without plaster,
which I verily believe was the dormitory of the black
wuter, who was displaced on my account. The smell
of the bed was most o£Pensive, the sheets were dirty,
and the coverlid had the appearance of an old horse-
cloth. The only other furniture in the apartment
was a table and a wooden chair ; no glass, no wash-
ing-stand, no towels. These articles were promised
in the morning, but they never came, though most
importunately demanded. The heat of the crowded
sitting-room was intense ; the temperature of the
bed-room was in the opposite extreme. At length,
driven from the former, I wrapped myself in my
cloak, and sought slumber on the filthy mass of
flock from which its usual sable occupant had been
expelled.

Cold weather and stroug odours are not favour-
able to sleep. In about two hours I arose, and ex-
ploring my way to the sitting-room, now uutenanted,
passed^ the rest of the night ii\ a chair by the fire.
The steam-boat was to start at five in the morning.

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272 JOURNEY TO NEW YORK.

and at half past four several coaches drove up to
convey the passengers to the quay. I saw nothing
of Newhaven, and its associations in my memory are
certainly far from pleasant. It was with satisfac-
tion I reached the steam-boat, and bade farewell to
it for ever.

The night concluded, however, more fortunately
than it commenced. I procured a berth in the steam-
boat, and was only roused from a comfortable snoose
by the announcement of breakfast, and the clatter of
knives and plates which immediately succeeded it.
Under such circumstances, I had experience enough
to know that no time was to be lost. There is a tide
in the affairs of steam-passengers in America, which
must be taken at the flood in order to lead either to
breakfast or dinner. A minute, therefore, was
enough to find me seated at the table, and contri-
buting my strenuous efforts to the work of destruc-
tion. Breakfast was succeeded by the still greater
luxury of basin and towel, and when I went on deck,
a few whiffs of a cigar, and the fine scenery of Long
Island Sound, had the effect of obliterating all trace
of the disagreeables of the night.

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ARRIVAL AT NEW YORK. 273

The voyage was pleasant and prosperous; the
weather, though still cold, was clear, and before day
closed, I again found myself at New York,

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274 INTELLIGENCE FROM ENGLAND.

CHAPTER IX.

NEW YORK.

On the day after my arrival at New York, the city
was thrown into a bustle by the intelligence that a
packet from Liverpool had been telegraphed in the
offing. Owing to the prevalence of contrary winds,
an unusual period had elapsed without an arrival
from Europe, and the whole population seemed agog
for news. I dined that day with a friend ; and as
there was no party, and we were both anxious to re-
ceive the earliest intelligence, he proposed our walk-
ing to the News-room, and afterwards returning to
wine and the dessert. On approaching the house,
we found some thousands of people collected about
the door, and in the window was exhibited a pla-
card of the following import: — " Duke of Welling-

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EXCITEMENT IT OCCASIONS. 275

ton and Ministry resigned ; Lord Grey, Premier ;
Brougham, Lord Chancellor," &c.

It was impossible not to be struck with the ex-
treme interest this intelligence excited. Here and
there were groups of quidnuncs engaged in earnest
discussion on the consequences of this portentous
intelligence. Some anticipated immediate revolu-
tion ; a sort of second edition of the Three Days of
Paris. Others were disposed to think that Revolu-
tion, though inevitable, would be more gradual. A
third party looked forward to the speedy restoration
of the Duke of Wellington to power. But all partook
of the pervading excitement, and the sensation pro-
duced by these changes in the government, could
scarcely have been greater in Liverpool than in New
York.

On the last night of the year there was a public
assembly, to which I received the honour of an in-
vitation. The ball-rooms were very tolerable, but
the entrance detestable. It led close past the bar of
the City Hotel, and the ladies, in ascending the stair,
which, by the by, was offensively dirty, must have
been drenched with tobacco smoke. Within, how-

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276 PUBLIC HALL.

ever, I foand assembled a great deal of beauty. At
seyenteeiiy nothing can be prettier than a smiling
damsel of New York. At twenty-two, the same
damsel, metamorphosed into a matron, has lost a good
deal of her attraction. I had never been in so large
and miscellaneous a party before. I looked about
for solecisms of deportment, but could detect none
on the part of the ladies. There was, however, a
sort of Transatlaniicism about them ; and even their
numerous points of resemblance to my fair country-
women, had the effect of marking out certain sha-
dowy differences, to be felt rather than described.

There was certainly an entire absence of what the
French call Fair noife,— of that look of mingled ele-
gance and distinction which commands admiration
rather than solicits it. Yet the New York ladies are
not vulgar. Far from it. I mean only to say that
they are not precisely European ; and with the pos-
session of so much that is amiable and attractive,
they may safely plead guilty to want of absolute
conformity to an arbitrary standard, the authority of
which they are not bound to acknowledge.

But what shall be said of the gentlemen ? Why,

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AMERICAN DANDIES. 277

simply that a party of the new police, furnished
*orth with the requisite toggery^ would have played
their part in the ball-room, with about as much
grace. There is a certain uncontrollable rigidity of
muscle about an American, and a want of sensibility
to the lighter graces of deportment, which makes
him perhaps the most unhopeful of all the votaries
of Terpsichore. In this respect the advantage is
altogether on the side of the ladies. Their motions
are rarely inelegant, and never grotesque. I leave it
to other travellers to extend this praise to the gentle-
men.

An American dandy is a being sui generis. He has
probably travelled in Europe, and brought back to
his own country, a large stock of second-rate fop-
peries, rings, trinkets, and gold chains, which he
displays, evidently with full confidence in their
powers of captivation. For a season after his return
he is all the fashion. He suggests new improve-
ments in quadrille dancing, and every flourish of his
toe becomes the object of sedulous imitation. Tailors
wait on him to request the privilege of inspecting his
wardrobe. His untravelled companions regard with

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278 AMERICAN DANDIES.

envy his profusion of jewellery and waistcoats of
figured velvet. He talks of ^^ Dukes and Earls, and
all their sweeping train ; and garters, stars and coro-
nets, appear" in his conversation, as if such things
had been familiar to him from his infancy. In short,
he reigns for a time the Magnus ApoUo of his native
town, and his decrees in all matters of taste are
received as the oracles of the god.

But time passes on. The traveller has returned
to the vulgar drudgery of the counting-house ; his
coats, like his affectations, become threadbare, and
are replaced by the more humble productions of na-
tive artists ; later touiists have been the heralds of
newer fashions and fopperies; his opinions are no
longer treated with deference ; he sinks to the level
of other men, and the vulgar dandy is gradually
changed into a plain American citizen, content with
the comforts of life, without concerning himself
about its elegancies.

The ball was very pleasant, and one of its chief
agr6mens undoubtedly was an excellent supper. The
oyster- soup, a favourite dish in this part of the
world, was all that Dr Kitchiner could have desired.

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NEW-YEAE*S DAY. 279

Turkey, ham, terrapin — ^a sort of land crab» on which
I have not ventured — jellies, creams, ices, fruit,
hot punch, and cold lemonade, were in profusion.
Having afterwards remained to witness some badly
danced quadrilles, and the perpetration of the first
gallopade ever attempted on the American continent,
I returned to take <^ my pleasure in mine inn."

It is the custom in New York, on the first day of
the year, for the gentlemen to visit all their acquaint-
ances ; and the omission of this observance in regard
to any particular family, would be considered as a
decided slight. The clergy, also, hold a levee on
this day, which is attended by their congregation.
For my own part, I confess, I found the custom ra-
ther inconvenient, there being about thirty families,
whose attentions rendered such an acknowledgment
indispensable. Determined, however, to fail in no-
thing which could mark my sense of the kindness of
my friends, I ordered a coach, and set forth at rather
an early hour on this task of visit-paying.

The first person on whom I waited was Dr Wain-
wright, the clergyman of Gracechucch, in whose so-
ciety I had often experienced much pleasure. I

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280 NEW- year's day.

found him attired in full canonicals, with a table
displaying a profusion of wine and cake, and busied
in conversing and shaking hands with his parishion-
ers. Having paid my compliments, I proceeded on
my progress, and in the course of about four hours
had the satisfaction of believing that I had discharged
my duty, though not, — as I afterwards remembered,
— without some omissions, which I trust my friends
were good enough to forgive.

The routine is as follows : The ladies of a family
remain at home to receive visits ; the gentlemen are
abroad, actively engaged in paying them. You en-
ter, shake hands, are seated, talk for a minute or
two on the topics of the day, then hurry off as fast
as you can. Wine and cake are on the table, of
which each visitor is invited to partake. The cus-
tom is of Dutch origin, and, I believe, does not pre-
vail in any other city of the Union^ I am told its
influence on the social intercourse of families, is very
salutary. The first day of the year is considered a
day of kindness and reconciliation, on which petty
differences are forgotten, and trifling injuries for-
given. It sometimes happens, that between friends

5

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NAVY YARD.

281

long connected, a misunderstanding takes place.
Each is too proud to make concessions, alienation
follows, and thus are two families, very probably,
permanently estranged. But on this day of annual
amnesty, each of the offended parties calls on the
wife of the other, kind feelings are recalled, past
grievances overlooked, and at their next meeting they
take each other by the hand, and are again friends.

In company with a most intelligent and kind
friend, who was lately mayor of the city, I visited
the Navy yard at Brooklyn. Commodore Chauncey,
the commander, is a fine specimen of an old sailor of
the true breed. He has a good deal of the Benboio
about him, and one can read in his open and wea-
therbeaten countenance, that it has long braved both
the battle and the breeze. He took us over several
men-of-war, and a frigate yet on the stocks, which
appeared the most splendid vessel of her class I had
ever seen# American men-of-war are built chiefly
of live oak, the finest and most durable material in
the world.

Every thing in these navy yards is conducted with

admirable judgment, for the plain reason, as the
VOL. I. 2 a

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282 HOUSE OF REFUGE

Americans themselves assure me, that the manage-
ment of the navy is a department in vrhich the mobj
everywhere else triumphant, never venture to inter-
fere. There is good sense in this abstinence. The
principles of government, which are applicable to a
civil community, would make sad work in a man-of-
war. The moment a sailor is afloat, he must cast
the slough of democracy, and both in word and ac-
tion cease to be a free man. Every ship is necessa-
rily a despotism, and the existence of any thing like
a deliberative body, is utterly incompatible with
safety. The necessity of blind obedience is impe-
rious, though it is not easy to understand bow those
accustomed to liberty and equality on shore, can
readily submit to the rigours of naval discipline.

In the same excellent company I made the round
of the most interesting public institutions of the city
— the House of Refuge for juvenile delinquents, the
Deaf and Dumb Asylum, and the Asylum for Lu-
natics. All are conducted with exemplary judgmen^
and benevolence exerted with an ardent but enlight-
ened zeal for the general interests of humanity. The
first of these institutions is particulai*ly laudable,

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FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS. 283

both as respects its objects and management. It is
an asylum for juvenile offenders of both sexes, who,
by being thrown into the depraved society of a com-
mon gaol, would, in all probability, grow up into
hardened and incorrigible criminals. In this insti*
tution, they are taught habits of regular industry ;
are instructed in the principles of religion, and when
dismissed, they enter the world with ample means at
command of earning an honest livelihood.

The girls are generally bred up as sempstresses or
domestic servants ; and on quitting the institution,
are uniformly sent to a part of the country, where
their previous history is unknown. By this judicious
arrangement they again start fair, with the full ad-
vantage of an unblemished character. The establish-
ment seemed a perfect hive of industry. The taste
and talent of the boys is consulted in the choice of
a trade. There were young carpenters and black-
smiths, and tailors and brushmakers, and Lilliputian
artificers of various kinds, all busily engaged in their
peculiar handicraft. Though looking at the details
of the establishment with a critical eye, I could de-
tect no fault in any department. There can be no

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284 POLITICAL PARTIES.

doubt, I think, that the beDeyolence to which this
institution is indebted for its origin and support, is of
the most enlightened kind.

I have not yet spoken of the political parties in
this country, and, in truth, the subject is so compli-
cated with opinions continually varying, and inte-
rests peculiar to particular districts, and includes the
consideration of so many topics, apparently uncon-
nected with politics altogether, that I now enter on
it with little expectation of making it completely in-
telligible to an English reader. Of course, all the
world knows that the population of the Union is, or
was, divided into two great parties, entitled Fede-
ralist and Republican. These terms, however, by
no means accurately express the differences which
divide them. Both parties are Federalist, and both
Republican, but the former favour the policy of grant-
ing wider powers to the Federal legislature and exe-
cutive ; of asserting their control over the State go-
vernments ; of guarding the Constitution against po-
pular encroachment ; in short, of strengthening the
bonds of public union, and maintaining a presiding
power of sufficient force and energy, to overawe tur-

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POLITICAL PARTIES. 285

bulence at home, and protect the national honour
and interests abroad.

The Democratic Republican, on the other hand,
would enlarge to the utmost extent the political in-
fluence of the people. He is in favour of universal
suffi*age ; a dependent judiciary ; a strict and literal
interpretation of the articles of the Constitution, and
regards the Union simply as a voluntary league be-
tween sovereign and independent States, each of
which possesses the inalienable right of deciding on
the legality of the measures of the general govern-
ment. The Federalist, in shorty is disposed to regard
the United States as one and indivisible, and the
authority of the United government as paramount to
every other jurisdiction. The Democrat considers
the Union as a piece of mosaic, tesselated with stones
of difl^erent colours, curiously put together, but pos-
sessing no other principle of cohesion than that of
mutual convenience. The one r^ards the right of
withdrawing from the national confederacy as inde-
feasible in each of its members ; the other denies the
existence of such right, and maintains the Federal

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286 POLITICAL PARTIES.

government to be invested with the power of enfor-
cing its decrees within the limits^of the Union.

During the period succeeding the Revolution, New
England, pre-eminent in wealth, population, and in-
telligence, gave her principles to the Union. The
two first presidents were both Federalists, but their
political opponents were rapidly increasing both in
numbers and virulence, and even the services, the
high name, and unsullied character of Washington,
were not sufficient to protect him from the grossest
and most slanderous attacks. Adams succeeded him,
and certainly did something to merit the imputations
which had been gratuitously cast on his predecessor.
His sedition law was bad ; the prosecutions under it
still worse, and in the very first struggle he was
driven from office, to return to it no more.*

It is evident that a constitution, however precise-
ly defined, must differ in its practical operation, ac-

* Carey in the Olive Branch mentions a prosecution under this act*
in which a New Jersey man was tried and punished for expressing a
desire, that the wadding of a gun discharged on a festival day, ^' had
singed or otherwise inflicted damage on'* a certain inexpressible part
of Mr Adams ! After such a prosecution, one is only tempted to re-
gret that the efficiency of the wish was not equal to its patriotism.

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POLITICAL PARTIES. 287

cording to the principles on which it is administered.
From the period of Jefferson's accession to power, a
change in this respect took place. The government
was then administered on democratic principles ; a
silent revolution was going forward ; the principles,
opinions, and habits of the people, all tended towards
the wider extension of political rights ; and at the
conclusion of the war with England, the Federalists
became at length convinced, that the objects for
which they had so long strenuously been contend-
ing, were utterly unattainable. Farther contention^
therefore, was useless. The name of Federalist had
become odious to the people ; it was heard no more.
No candidate for public favour ventured to come
forward and declare his conviction, that a govern-
ment, which looked for support to the prejudices of
the populace, was necessarily less secure and bene-
ficial than one which represented the deliberate
convictions of the wealthiel* and more enlightened.

The result of all this was, an apparent harmony of
political principle throughout the Union. Open dif-
ferences of opinion were no longer expressed, as to
the broad and fundamental doctrines of government.

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288 POLrncAL parties.

The aseendencjr of nmiibere, in opporition to that of
property and intelligeoce, had been firmly estab-
lished; the people, in the widest sense of the term,
had been reoc^;nised as the only source of power
and of honour; and the government, instead of at-
tempting to control and ri^ulate the passions and
prejudices of the multitude, were forced, by the ne-
cessity of their situation, to adopt them as the guide
and standard of their policy. They were compelled,
in short, to adopt the measures, and profess the prin-
ciples most palatable to the people, instead of those
which wider knowledge and keener sagacity might
indicate as most for their advantage.

I remember one of my first impressions in the
United States was that of surprise, at the harmony
in r^ard to the g^eat principles of government,
which seemed to pervade all classes of the commu-
nity. In every thing connected with men and
measures, however, all was clamour and confusion.
The patriot of one company was the scoundrel of
the next, and to an uninterested observer, the praise
and the abuse seemed both to rest on a foundation
too narrow to afford support to such disproportionate

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POLITICAL PARTIES. 289

superstructures. Parties there evidently were, but it
was not easy to become master of the distinctions on
which they rested. I asked for the Federalists, and
was told, that like the mammoth and the megathe-
rion, they had become extinct, and their principles
delighted humanity no longer. I asked for the Demo-
crats, and I was desired to look on the countenance
of every man I met in the street. This puzzled me,
for the principles of this exploded party, appeared,
in my deliberate conviction, to be those most in
accordance with political wisdom, and I had little
faith in the efficacy of sudden conversions, either in
politics or religion.

In such circumstances, instead of attempting to
grope my way to a conclusion, by any dark and
doubtful hypothesis, I determined to demand infor-
mation from those best calculated to afford it. I
therefore explained my difficulties to one of the most
eminent individuals of the Union, whom I knew at
least to have been formerly a Federalist. ** How
comes it," I asked, ^^ that the party which you for-
merly adorned by your talents and eloquence, is no

longer to be found ? Is it, that the progress of
VOL. I. 2 b

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290 SUPPRESSION OF FEDERALISM.

eyentsy increased experiencey and more deliberate
and enlightened views, have induced you to relin-
quish your former tenets; or, that still ent^taining
the same opinions, you are simply withheld by policy
from expressing them ?" His answer — in substance
as'follows — ^was too striking to be forgotten. ^^ My
opinions, and I believe those of the party to which
I belonged, are unchanged ; and the course of events
in this country has been such, as to impress only a
deeper and more thorough conviction of their wis-
dom. But, in the present state of public feeling, we
dare not express them. An individual professing
such opinions, would not only find himself .excluded
from every office of public trust, within the scope of
his reasonable ambition, but he would be regarded
by his neighbours and felloWH;itissens with an evil
eye. His words and actions would become the ob->
jects of jealous and malignant SQirutiny, and he would
have to sustain the unceasipg attacks of a host .of
unscrupulous and ferocious assailants. Andfor yrhat
object is his life to be thus embittered, and he is^to
be cut off from the common objects of honourable
ambition ? Why, for the satisfaction of expressing

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AMERICAN UNANIMITY. 291

his adherence to an obsolete creed, and his persua-
sion of the wisdom of certain doctrines of govern-
ment, which his judgment assures him, are utterly
impracticable in the present condition of society."

When the Americans do agree, therefore, their
unanimity is really not very wonderful, seeing it
proceeds from the observance of the good old rule,
of punishing all di£ference of opinion. The conse-
quence, however, has been, not the eradication of
federal principles, but a discontinuance of their pro-
fession. The combatants fight under a new banner,
but the battle is not less bitter on that account. There
is no longer any question with regard to increase of
power on the part of the general government; that
has long since been decided; but the point of conten-
tion now is, whether it shall keep that authority with
which it is at present understood to be invested. But
even this substantial ground of difference is rarely
brought prominently forward in debate. The
struggle generally is with r^ard to particular mea-
sures, involving many collateral interests, but which
are felt to have a tendency to one side or the other.

Thus one great subject of discussion relates to the

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292 INTERNAL IMP&OTEMENTS.

power of the govemment to expend a portion of the
national fnncU in internal improvements. In 1830,
a bill which had passed the legislature for the con-
struction of a national road, was returned with the
veto of the President. By the articles of the consti-
tution, the federal legislature are invested with the
power of <' establishing post-offices and post-roads."
The doubt is, whether the word establish gives the
privilege to constmct, or is to be understood as sim-
ply granting authority to convert into post-roads,
thoroughfares already in existence. A principle of
great importance. is no doubt involved in this ques-
tion, since by it must be decided whether the federal
government have the power of adopting any general
system of improvements, or of executing public
works with a view to the national advantage. The
existence of such a power would no doubt materially
tend to strengthen its influence, and this, which is a
recommendation with one party, constitutes the chief
objection with the other. General Jackson is the
leading champion on the one side; Mr Clay, his
opponent for the Presidency, on the other. The latter
is backed by the northern and a considerable portion

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POLITICAL DIFFERENCES. 293

of the Central States ; the former by the Southern
and Western.

There can be no doubt, I imagine, that the Fede-
ralists, in supporting the affirmative of this question,
are influenced by the tendency of the opinions they
advocate, to enlarge and strengthen the power of
the executive, but the grounds on which they attempt
to gain proselytes are entirely collateral. They urge
the general expediency of such a power ; the impos-
sibility of inducing the legislatures of the different
States to concur heartily in any one project for the
benefit of the whole ; the necessity of unity of exe-
cution, as well as unity of design ; and the probabi-
lity, that if such improvements are not undertaken
by the federal government, they will never be exe-
cuted at all.

Of course, such questions as the Tarifl> and that
of which I have just spoken, are not exclusively
decided by political principle. Private interest steps
in ; many of the democratic party adopt the views of
their opponents on some single question of policy,
and where that is of great importance, range them-
selves under the same banner. Thus, a candidate for

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894 POLITICAL DIFFERENCES.

Congress is often supported by men differing on many
questions, and agreeing only in one. Commercial
men are usually in favour of the system of internal
improvements, because these must generally bring
with them increased fiidlities for commerce. A new
road may open a new market ; the deepening of a
harbour may change the whole aspect of a province ;
and those, who by their local position or pursuits
are more immediately interested in these benefits,
may be pardoned, if, on an occasion of such moment,
they lay aside their principles, and act on the nar«
rower and stronger motive of personal advantage.

In a country of such extraordinary extent as the
United States, there are of course a vast number of
local interests, which modify the application of theo-
retical principle. In the representative of each dis-
trict, some peculiarity of creed is commonly necessary
to secure the support of his constituents. Con-
formity on leading points of opinion is not enough ;
there is almost always some topic, however uncon-
nected with politics, on which coincidence of senti-
ment is demanded. I may quote a striking instance
of this in the State of New York.

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MASONRY. 295

Some years ago a man of the name of Morgan,
who wrote a book revealing the secrets of Free-
Masonry, was forcibly seized in his own dwelling-
house, carried off, and murdered. Of the latter fact
there is no direct proof, but it is impossible to
account for the circumstances on any other supposi-
tion. He is known to have been conveyed to the
neighbourhood of Niagara, and there is evidence of
his having passed anight there ; but from that period
to the present, no traces of the unfortunate man
have ever been discovered. Of course the vigpilance
of justice was aroused by this outrage. The public
prosecutor was long unsuccessful in his attempts to
bring the criminals to trial. At length, however,
strong circumstantial evidence was obtained, which
went to fix participation in the crime on two in-
dividuals. They were brought to trial. A ma-
jority of the jury had no doubt of their guilt, but the
minority thought otherwise, and the men were
acquitted.

The circumstance of the jurymen who procured
the acquittal being Free-Masons, contributed to in-
flame the public indignation, already strongly ex-

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296 MASONS AND ANTI-MASONS.

cited by the original outrage. The principles of this
secret society had not only caused crime to be com-
mitted, but justice to be denied. Unquestionably
Free-AIasonry had given rise to murder, and as
unquestionably, in the opinion of many, its influence
had secured impunity to the oflenders. The question
thus arose, — ^is a society which produces such conse-
quences to be tolerated in a Christian community ?
A large portion of the people banded together in
hostility to all secret and affiliated societies. They
pronounced them dangerous and unconstitutional,
and pledged themselves to exert their utmost eflbrts
for their suppression.

The Masons, on the other hand, were a widely
ramified and powerful body, embracing in their
number nearly half the population of the State. Their
constitution gave them the adv£intage of unity of
purpose and of action. The keenness of contest, of
course, excited the passions of J)oth parties. The pub-
lic press ranged itself on different sides; every can-
didate for office was compelled to make confession of
his creed on this important subject, and to fight un-^
4er the banner of one party or the other; and the

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MASONS AND ANTI-MASONS. 297

distinction of Mason or Anti-Mason superseded, if
it did not extinguish, those arising from differences
more legitimately political. In the late elections
the Masonic party were triumphant; but the struggle
is still carried on with vigour, and there is no doubt
that the votes in the next presidential election will
be materially affected by it. Indeed the mania on
this subject is daily spreading. It was at first exclu*
sively confined to the State of New York ; it is now
becoming diffused over the New England States
and Pennsylvania.

It is such collateral influences which puzzle an
Englishman, when he attempts to become acquainted
with the state of parties in this country. He looks
for the broad distinction of political principle, and he
finds men fighting about Masonry, or other matters
which have no apparent bearing on the great doc-
trines of government- He finds general opinions
modified by local interests, and seeks in vain to dis-
cover some single and definite question which may
serve as a touchstone of party distinctions. It is only
by acute and varied observation, and by conversa-
tion with enlightened men of all parties, that he is

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S98 DIFFICULTY OF UNDERSTANDINa

enabled to make dae allowaiice for the variations of
the political compass, and judge accurately of the
course which the vessel is steering*

The Americans have a notion that they are a
people not easily understood, and that to compre-
hend their character requires a long apprentice-
ship of philosophical observation, and more both of
patience and liberality than are usually compatible
with the temper and prejudices of foreign travel-
lers. This is a mistake. The peculiarities of the
Americans lie more on the surface than those of
any people I have ever known. Their features are
broad and marked; there exists little individual
eccentricity of character, and it is in their poli-
tical relations alone that they are difficult to be
understood. One fact, however, is confessed by all
parties, that the progress of democratic principles
from the period of the Revolution has been very great.
During my whole residence in the United States,
I conversed with no enlightened American, who
did not confess, that the constitution now, though
the same in letter with that established in 1789, is
essentially different in spirit. It was undoubtedly

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POLITICAL DIFFERENCES IN AMERICA. 299

the wish of Washington and Hamilton to counter-
poise, as mach as circamstances would permit, the
rashness of democracy by the caution and wisdom
of an aristocracy of intelligence and wealth. There
is now no attempt at counterpoise. The weight is
all in one scale, and how low, by continued increase
of pressure, it is yet to descend, would require a
prophet of some sagacity to foretell. I shall state a
few circumstances which may illustrate the progress
and tendency of opinion among the people of New
York.

In that city a separation is rapidly taking place
between the di£Ferent orders of society. The opera-
tive class have already formed themselves into a
society, under the name of <^ The Workies^^ in direct
opposition to those who, more favoured by nature or
fortune, enjoy the luxuries of life without the neces-
sity of manual labour. These people make no secret
of their demands, which to do them justice are few
and emphatic. They are published in the news-
papers, and may be read on half the walls of New
York. Their first postulate is ^^ equal and uni-
versal EDUCATION." It is falsc, they say, to main-
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300 SOCIETY OF WORRIES.

tain that there is at present no privileged order, no
practical aristocracy, in a country where distinctions
of education are permitted. That portion of the popu-
lation whom the necessity of manual labour cuts off
from the opportunity of enlarged acquirement, is in
fact excluded from all the valuable offices of the
State. As matters are now ordered in the United
States, these are distributed exclusively among one
small class of the community, while those who con-
stitute the real strength of the country, have barely
a voice in the distribution of those loaves and fishes,
which they are not permitted to enjoy. There does
exist then — they argue — ^an aristocracy of the most
odious kind, — an aristocracy of knowledge, educa-
tion, and refinement, which is inconsistent with the
true democratic principle of absolute equality. They
pledge themselves, therefore, to exert every effort,
mental and physical, for the abolition of this flagrant
injustice. They proclaim it to the world as a nui-
sance which must be abated, before the freedom
of an American be something more than a mere
empty boast. They solemnly declare that they will
not rest satisfied, till every citizen in the United

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THEIR OBJECTS AND PRINCIPLES. 301

States shall receive the same degree of education,
and start fair in the competition for the honours and
the offices of the state. As it is of course impossible
— ^and these men know it to be so — to educate the
labouring class to the standard of the richer, it is
their professed object to reduce the latter to the
same mental condition with the former ; to prohibit
all supererogatory knowledge ; to have a maximum
of acquirement beyond which it shall be punishable
to go.

But those who limit their views to the mental
degradation of their country, are in fact the mode-
rates of the party. There are others who go still
further, and boldly advocate the introduction of an
Agrarian law, and a periodical division of pro-
perty. These unquestionably constitute the extrSme
gauche of the Worky Parliament, but still they only,
follow out the principles of their less violent neigh-
bours, and eloquently dilate on the justice and pro-
priety of every individual being equally supplied
with food and clothing; on the monstrous iniquity
of one man riding in his carriage while another walks
oil foot, and after his drive discussing a bottle of

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802 POLITICAL PROSPECTS

Champagne, while many of his neighbours are shame-
fully compelled to be content with the pure element.
Only equalise property, they say, and neither would
drink Champagne or water, but both would hare
brandy, a consummation worthy of centuries of
straggle to attain.

All this is nonsense undoubtedly, nor do I say
that this party, though strong in New York, is yet
so numerous or so widely diffused as to create im-
mediate alarm. In the elections, however, for the
civic offices of the city, their influence is strongly
felt ; and there can be no doubt that as population
becomes more dense, and the supply of labour shall
equal, or exceed the demand for it, the strength of this
party must be enormously augmented. Their ranks
will always be recruited by the needy, the idle and
the profligate, and like a rolling snowball it will
gather strength and volume as it proceeds, until at
length it comes down thundering with the force and
desolation of an avalanche.

This event may be distant, but it is not the less
certain on that account. It is nothiug to say, that
the immense extent of fertile territory yet to be

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OF THE UNITED STATES. 303

occupied by an unborn population will delay the
day of ruin. It will delay, but it cannot prevent it.
The traveller, at the source of the Mississippi, in the
very heart of the American Continent, may predict
with perfect certainty, that however protracted the
wanderings o( the rivulet at his foot, it must reach
the ocean at last. In proportion as the nearer lands
are occupied, it is very evident that the region to
which emigration will be directed must of necessity
be more distant. The pressure of population there-
fore will continue to augment in the Atlantic States,
and the motives to removal become gradually weaker..
Indeed, at the present rate of extension, the circle of
occupied territory must before many generations be
so enormously enlarged, that emigration will be con-
fined wholly to the Western States. Then, and not
till then, will come the trial of the American consti-
tution ; and until that trial has been passed, it is
mere nonsense to appeal to its stability.

Nor is this period of trial apparently very distant.
At the present ratio of increase, the population of
the United States doubles itself in about twenty-
four years, so that in half a century it will amount

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304 POLITICAL PROSPECTS

to about fifty millions, of which ten millions will be
slaves, or at all events a degraded caste, cut off from
all the rights and privil^es of citizenship. Before
this period it is very certain that the pressure of the
population, on the means of subsistence, especially
in the Atlantic States, will be very great. The price
of labour. will have fallen, while that of the neces-
saries of life must be prodigiously enhanced. The
poorer and more suffering class, will want the means
of emigrating to a distant region of unoccupied ter-
ritory. Poverty and misery will be abroad; the
great majority of the people will be without pro-
perty of any kind, except the thews and sinews with
which God has endowed them; they will choose
legislators under the immediate pressure of priva-
tion; and if in such circumstances, any man can
anticipate security of property, his conclusion must
be founded, I suspect, rather on the wishes of a
sanguine temperament, than on any rational cal-
culation of probabilities.

It is the present policy of the government to en-
courage and stimulate the premature growth of a
manufacturing population. In this it will not be

2

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OF THE UNITED STATES. 305

[Successful, but no man can contemplate the vast
internal resources of the United States, — the varied
productions of their soil, — the unparalleled extent of
riyer communication, — the inexhaustible stores of
coal and iron which are spread even on the surface,
— ^and doubt that the Americans are destined to be-
come a great manufacturing nation. Whenever in-
crease of population shall have reduced the price of
labour to a par with that in other countries, these
advantages will come into full play; the United
States will then meet England on fair terms in every
market of the world, and in many branches of in-
dustry at least, will very probably attain an un-
questioned superiority. Huge manufacturing cities
will spring up in various quarters of the Union, the
population will congregate in masses, and all the
vices incident to such a condition of society will
attain speedy maturity. Millions of men will depend
for subsistence on the demand for a particular ma-
nufacture, and yet this demand will of necessity be
liable to perpetual fluctuation. When the pendulum
vibrates in one direction, there will be an influx of
wealth antl prosperity ; when it vibrates in the
VOL. I. 2 c

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306 APPROACHING TRIAL

other, misery, discontent, and turbulence will spread
through the land. A change of fashion, a war, the
glut of a foreign market, a thousand unforeseen and
inevitable accidents are liable to produce this, and
deprive multitudes of brend, who but a month be-
fore were enjojring all the comforts of life. Let it
be remembered that in this suffering class will be
practically deposited the whole political power of
the state; that there can be no military force to
maintain civil order, and protect property ; and to
what quarter, I should be glad to know, is the rich
man to look for security, either of person or for-
tune?

' There will be no occasion however for convulsion
or violence. The Worky convention will only have
to choose representatives of their own princii^ies, in
order to accomplish a general system of spoliation, in
the most legal and constitutional manner. It is not
even necessary that a majority of the federal legis-
lature should concur in this. It is competent to the
government of each state to dispose of the property
within their own limits as they think proper, and
whenever a numerical majority of the pelyile idiall be
in favour of an Agrarian law, there exists no ooun-

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OF THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION. 307

teracting influence to prevent, or even to retard its
adoption.

I have had the advantage of conversing with many
of the most eminent Americans of the Union on the
future prospects of their country, and I certainly
remember none who did not admit that a period of
trial, such as that I have ventured to describe, is
according to all human calculation inevitable. Many
of them reckoned much on education as a means of
safety, and unquestionably in a country where the
mere power of breathing carries with it the right of
sufttige, the diffusion of sound knowledge is always
essential to the public security. It unfortunately
happens, however, that in proportion as poverty in-
creases, not only the means but the desire of instruc-
tioii are neceiSHsarily diminished. The man whose
whole energies are required for the supply of his
bodily wants, has neither time nor inclination to
concern himself about his mental deficiencies, and
the result of human experience does not warrant
us in reckoning on the restraint of individual cupi-
dity, where no obstacle exists to its gratification, by
any delifoerate calculation of its consequences on so-

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308 APPROACHING TRIAL

ciQty. There caii be no doubt, that if men could be
made wise enough to act on an enlarged and enlight-
ened view of their own interest, government might
be dispensed with altogether; but what statesman
would legislate on the probability of such a condi-
tion of society, or rely on it as a means of future
safety?

The general answer, however, is, that the state of
things which I have ventured to describe, is very
distant. " It is enough," they say, ** for each ge-
neration to look to itself, and we leave it to our de-
scendants some centuries hence to take care of their
interests as we do of ours. We enjoy all man-
ner of freedom and security under our present con-
stitution, and really feel very little concern about
the evils which may afflict our posterity." I cannot
help believing, however, that the period of trial is
somewhat less distant than such reasoners comfort
themselves by imagining ; but if the question be con-
ceded that democracy necessarily leads to anarchy
and spoliation, it does not seem that the mere length
of road to be travelled is a point of much import-
ance.. This, of course, would vary according to the

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OF THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION. 309

peculiar circumstances of every country in which the
experiment might be tried. In England the journey
would be performed with railway velocity. In the
United States, with thegreat advantages they possess,
it may continue a generation or two longer, '^but the
termination is the same. The doubt regards time,
pot destination.

At present the United States are perhaps more
safe from revolutionary contention than any other
country in the world. But this safety consists in
one circumstance alone. The great majority of the
people are possessed of property ; have what is called
a stake in the hedge ; and are therefore, by interest,
opposed to all measures which may tend to its inse-
curity. It is for such a condition of society that the
present constitution was framed; and could this
great bulwark of prudent government, be rendered
as permanent as it is effective, there could be no as-
i^ignable limit to the prosperity of a people so favour-
ed. But the truth is undeniable, that as population
increases, another state of things must necessarily
arise, and one unfortunately never dreamt of in the
philosophy of American legislators. The majority

• %. Digitized by VjOOQIC

310 DIFFICULTY OF UNDERSTANDING THE

of the people inll then consist of men without pro-
perty of any kind, subject to the immediate pressure
of want, and then mil be decided the great strn^le
between property and numbers; on the one side
hunger, rapacity, and physical power; reason, jas*
tice, and helplessness on the other. The weapons of
this fearful contest are already forged; the hands
will soon be bom that are to wield them. At all
events, let no man appeal to the stability of the
American government as being established by expe-
rience, till this trial has been overpast. Forty years
are no time to test the permanence, or, if I may so
speak, the vitality of a constitution, the immediate
advantages of which are strongly felt, and the evils
latent and comparatively remote.

It maybe well to explain, that what I have hitherto
said has rather been directed to the pervading demo-
cracy of the institutions of the different States than
to the federal government. Of the latter it is dif-
ficult to speak, because it is difficult to ascertain with
any precision, the principles on which it is found-
ed. I think it was a saying of Lord Eldon, that
tibere was no act of Parliament so carefully w<»*de4

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CHARACTER OP THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION. 311

that he could not drive a eoach and six through it.
The American lawyers have been at least equally
successful with regard to their federal constitution.
No man appears precisely to understand what it is,
but all agree that it is something very wise. It is a
sort of political gospel, in which every man finds a
reflection of his own prejudices and opinions. Ask a
New England statesman what is the constitution, and
he will tell you something very different from a
Georgian or South Carolinian. Even the halls of
Congress yet echo vnth loud and bitter disputa*
tion as to the primary and fundamental principle
on which it is based. Ask the President of the
United States, what is the nature of the government
he administers with so much honour to himself and
advantage to his coimtry, and General Jackson will
tell you that it is a govemment of consolidation^ pos«
sessing full power to enforce its decrees in every
district of the Union. Ask the Vice-president, and
he will assure you that the government is merely
con^derativef and depends for its authority on the
free consent of the individual States. Ask Mr
Clay or Mr Webster what are the powers of this

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\

312 SOURCES OF FUTURE DISCORD;

apparently unintelligible constitution, and they will
probably include in their number the privilege of
taxing at discretion the commerce of the country,
and expending the money so raised in projects of
internal improvement. Put the same question to
General Hayne or Mr Van Buren, and they will
assert that such doctrine is of the most injurious
tendency, and proceeds altogether on a false inter-
pretation; and yet all will agree that the federal
constitution is the highest, most perspicuous, and
faultless achievement of human legislation ! It may
be BO, but till this masterpiece of polity becomes
something more definite and intelligible, a foreigner
may perhaps be excused for holding his admiration
in abeyance.

At all events, it is abundantly clear, that the
seeds of discord are plentifully scattered throughout
the Union. Men of different habits, different inte^
rests, different modes of thought ; the inhabitants of
different climates, and agreeing only in mutual anti-
pathy, are united under a common government,-
whose powers are so indefinite as to afford matter for
interminable and rancorous disputation. Does such

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SOURCES OF FUTURE DISCOED. 313

a government bear the impress of permanence ? Or
does it not rather seem, in its very structure, to con-
centrate all the scattered elements of decay ?

When we contemplate the political relations of
this singular people, the question naturally arises
whether unity of government be compatible with
great diversities of interest in the governed. There
may possibly be reasoners who are prepared to an-
swer this question in the affirmative, and to these we
may look for instruction as to the advantages such a
government as that of the United States possesses
over others of smaller extent, and therefore capable
of closer adaptation to the peculiar wants and inte-
rests of a people. To me it certainly appears that
there can be no firm adhesion without homogeneity
in a population. Let men once feel that their inte-
rests are the same; that they are exposed to the
same dangers ; solicitous for the same objects, parta-
king of the same advantages, and connected by some
reasonable degree of geographical propinquity, and
in such a community there is no fear of separation
or dismemberment. The population in such circum-
stances forms one uniform and firmly-concatenated

VOL. I. 2d

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814 DISADVANTAGES OF THE UNION.

whole, whereas a Union on other principles re*
sembles that of a bag of sand, in which the separate
particles, though held together for a time, retain
their original and abstract individuality.

Let us look for a moment at this Union. In
Florida and Louisiana they grow sugar ; in Maine
there is scarcely sun enough to ripen a crop of maize.
The people of these States are no less different than
the productions of their soil. They are animated by
no sentiment of brotherhood and affinity. Nature has
divided them by a distance of two thousand miles ;
the interests of one are neither understood nor cared
for in the other. In short, they are connected by
nothing but a clumsy and awkward piece of machi-
nery most felicitously contrived to deprive both of.
the blessing of self-government. What is gained by
this ? A certain degree of strength, undoubtedly,
but not more than might be produced by an alliance
between independent States, unaccompanied by that
jealousy and conflict of opposing interests, which is
the present curse of the whole Union.

I remember, when at Washington, stating my im*
pressions on this subject to a distinguished mem-

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OPINIONS IN REGARD TO IT* 315

ber of the House of Representatives, who admitted
that the ends of good government would most pro-
bably be better and more easily attainable were the
Union divided into several republics, firmly united
for purposes of defence, but enjoying complete legis-
lative independence. ^^ And yet/' he continued,
^^ the scheme could not possibly succeed. The truth
is, the Union is necessary to prevent us from cutting
each other's throats." Nor is this to be considered
as the singular opinion of some eccentric indivi-
dual. I have often conversed on the subject with
itien of great intelligence in different parts of the
Union, and found a perfect harmony of opinion as
to the results of separation. The northern gentle-
men, in particular, seemed to regard the federal go-
vernment as the ark of their safety from civil war
and bloodshed. In such circumstances it might cha-
ritably be wished, that their ark was a stronger sea-
boat, and better calculated to weather the storms to
which it is likely to be exposed.
^ In truth, every year must increase the perils of
this federal constitution. Like other bubbles, it is
at any time liable to burst, and the world will then

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310 PROSPECTS OF THE CONSTITUTION,

discover that its external glitter covered nothing but
wind. ) It may split to-morrow on the Tariff ques-
tion, or it may go on, till, like a dropsical patient, it
dies of mere extension, when its remains will proba-
bly be denied even the decent honours of Christian
burial. It was near giviug up the ghost at the time
of the Hartford Convention, and is now in a state of
grievous suffering from the Carolina fever. It will
probably survive this attack as it did the former^
since the great majority of the States are at present
in favour of its continuance. But, with the pre-
valence of the doctrine of nullification, it is impos-
sible it can ever gain much strength or vigour. If
each State is to have the privilege of sitting in
judgment on the legality of its measures, the range
of its legislation must necessarily be very con-
fined. It will puzzle the ingenuity of American
statesmen, to discover some policy which will prove
palatable to the various members of the Union, and
which all interpreters of the Constitution will con*
fess to be within the narrow limits of its power.

Let us suppose in England that every county as-
serted the privilege of nullifying, when it thought

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DANGERS WHICH MENACE IT. 317

proper, the acts of the British Parliament. Leices-
tershire would summon her population in conven-
tion to resist any reduction of the foreign wool-
duty. Kent and Surry would nullify the hop-
duty. Lay a rude finger on kelp, and a distant
threat of separation would be heard from the Ork-
neys. Dorset and Wilts would insist on the conti-
nuance of the corn- laws, and woe to the Chancellor
of the Exchequer who should venture to raise the
Highland war-slogan by an impost on horned cattle !
Yet in Great Britain there exist no provincial jea-
lousies, and the interests of the whole kingdom are
far more intimately amalgamated than can ever be
the case in the United States.

Amid the multitude of events which threaten the
dissolution of the Union, I may venture to specify
one. The influence of each State in the election of
the President is in the exact ratio of the amount of
its population. In this respect the increase in some
States is far greater than in others. The unrivalled
advantages of New York have already given it the
lead, and the same causes must necessarily still conti-
nue to augment its comparative superiority. Ohio-
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318 DANGEBS WHICH MENACE

a State also rich in nataral advantages — ^has recent-
ly been advancing with astonishing rapidity, and the
time is apparently not far distant when three States
(New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio) must possess
a numerical majority of the whole population, and of
course the power of electing the President, inde-
pendently of the other twenty-one States. Will the
States thus virtually excluded, tamely submit to
this, or will they appeal to Congress for an amend-
ment of the constitution ? There can be no prospect
of redress from this quarter. The same superiority
of population which gave those three States the
power of electing the President, has of course also
given them the majority of the House of Representa-
tives, and no amendment of the constitution can take
place without the concurrence of two-thirds of both
houses. Besides, the principle of election by nume-
rical majority is fundamental throughout the Union,
and could not be abrogated without a total violation
of consistency. It does appear, therefore, that in no
great distance of time the whole substantial influ-
ence of the federal government may be wielded by-
three States, and that whenever these choose to com-

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THE DISRUPTION OP THE UNION. 319

bine, it will be in their power to carry any measure,
however obnoxious^ to the rest of the Union. The
S^iate^ it is true, which consists of delegates in
equal number from each State, would be free from
this influence, but in any struggle with the more
popular house, it must of course prove the weaker
party, and be compelled to yield.

Those know little of the character of the Ame-
rican people, who imagine that the great majority
of the States would tolerate being reduced to the
condition of political ciphers. Their jealousy of each
other is very great, and there can be no doubt, that
should the contingency here contemplated occur,
it must occasion a total disruption of the bonds of
union. I believe it is the probability of such an
event, joined to the apprehension of some interfe-
rence with the condition of the slave population,
which makes the people of the Southern States so
anxious to narrow the power of the general govern-
ment. At all events, it will be singular indeed if the
seeds of civil broil, disseminated in a soil so admi-
rably fitted to bring them to maturity, should not

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320 DANGER OF UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE.

eventually yield an abundant harvest of animosity
and dissension.*

After much-— I hope impartial and certainly
patient — observation, it does appear to me, thaCjuni-
versal suffrage is the rock on which American free-
dom is most likely to suffer shipwreck.) The intrinsic
evils of the system are very great, and its adoption
in the United States was the more monstrous, be-
cause a qualification in property is there not only a
test of intelligence, but of moral character. The man
must either be idle or profligate, or more probably
both, who does not, in a country where labour is so
highly rewarded, obtain a qualification of some sort.
He is evidently unworthy of the right of suffrage,
and by every wise legislature will be debarred from

* The opinions I have yentured to express on this subject are by-
no means singular. They- are those of a large portion of the American
people. Chancellor Kent — the ablest constitutional lawyer of bis
country — says, in his Commentaries, ** If ever the tranquillity of this
nation is to be disturbed, and its peace jeopardised by a struggle for
power among themsdves, it will be upon this very subject of the choice of a
President, It is the question that is eventually to attest the goodness and
try the strength of the constitution." And many- other authorities
might be adduced, were the subject one on which mere authority
could have much weight.

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THE FOLLV OF ITS ADOMION. 321

its exejrcise. In densely peopled countries the test of
property in reference to moral qualities is fallible,
— perhaps too fallible to be relied on with much
confidence. In the United States it is unerring^ or
at least the possible exceptions are so few, and must
arise from circumstances so peculiar, that it is
altogether unnecessary they should find any place
in the calculations of a statesman. But American
le^slators have thought proper to cast away this
inestimable advantage. Seeing no immediate dan*
ger in the utmost extent of suffrage, they were
content to remain blind to the future. They took
every precaution that the rights of the poor man
should not be encroached on by the rich, but never
seem to have contemplated the possibility that the
rights of the latter might be violated by the former.
American protection, like Irish reciprocity, was all
on one side. It was withheld where most needed ;
it was profusely lavished where there was no risk of
danger. They put a sword in the hand of one com-
batant, and took the shield from the arm of the
other.

The leader who gave the first and most powerful

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322 CHARACTER OF JEFFERSON.

impulse to the democratic tendencies of the constitu-
tion was unquestionably Jefferson. His countrymen
call bim great, but in truth he was great only when
compared with those by whom he was surrounded.
In brilliance and activity of intellect he was inferior
to Hamilton ; but Hamilton in heart and mind was
an aristocrat, and too honourable and too proud to
shape his political course to catch the flitting gales
of popular favour. Death, fortunately for Jeffersonj
removed the only rival, by whom his reputation
coul dhave been eclipsed, or his political principles
successfully ppposed. Adams he encountered and
overthrew. Federalism, never calculated to secure
popular favour, dwindled on, till in the termination
of the late war it received its death-blow, and the
democratic party remained undisputed lords of the
ascendant.

We seek in vain in the writings of Jefferson for
indications of original or profound thought. When
in France, he had been captivated by that shallow
philosophy of which Diderot and Condorcet were
the apostles, and he returned to America, the zeal-
ous partisan of opinions, which no subsequent ex-

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CHARACTER OF JEFFERSON. 323

perience could induce him to relinquish or modify.
During by far the greater portion of his life, the in-
tellect of Jefferson remained stationary. Time passed
on ; generations were gathered to their fathers ; the
dawn of liberty on the continent of Europe had ter-
minated in a bloody sunset ; but the shadow on the
dial of his mind remained unmoved. In his corre-
spondence we find him to the very last, complacently
putting forth the stale and flimsy dogmas, which,
when backed by the guillotine, had passed for unan-
swerable in the Jacobin coteries of the Revolution.

The mind of Jefferson was essentially unpoetical.
In his whole works there is no trace discoverable of
imaginative power. His benevolence was rather to-
pical than expansive. It reached France, but never
ventured across the channel. Had Napoleon invaded
England, the heart and prayers of Jefferson would
have followed him in the enterprise. He would have
gloated over her fallen palaces, her conflagrated
cities, her desolate fields. Her blood, her sufferings,
her tears, the glorious memory of her past achieve-
ments, would in him have excited no feeling of com-
passionate regret. Jefferson had little enthusiasm

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324 CttAftACTER OF JEFFERSOJ^.

of character. Nor was he rich in those warm cha-
rities and affections, in which great minds are rarely
deficient. He has been truly called a good hater.
His resentments were not vehement and fiery ebul-
litions, burning fiercely for a time^ and then subsi-
ding into indifference or dislike. They were cool,
fiendlike, and ferocious ; unsparing, undying, unap-^
peaseable. The enmities of most men terminate with
the death of their object. It was the delight of Jef-*
ferson to trample even on the graves of his political
opponents. The manner in which he speaks of
Hamilton in his correspondence, and the charges by
which he vainly attempts to blast his reputation, will
attach an indelible tarnish to his own memory. He
never forgave the superior confidence which Wash-
ington reposed in the wisdom and integrity of Ha-
milton. The only amiable feature in the whole life
of Jefferson was his reconciliation with Adams, and
there the efficient link was community of hatred.
Both detested Hamilton.

The moral character of Jefferson was repulsive.
Continually puling about liberty, equality, and the
degrading curse of slavery, he brought his own chil-

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MADISON — MUNROE. 325

dren to the hammer, and made money of his de-
baucheries. Even at his death, he did not manumit
his numerous offspring, but left them, soul and body,
to degradation, and the cart-whip. A daughter of
Jefferson was sold some years ago, by public auction,
at New Orleans, and purchased by a society of gen-
tlemen, who wished to testify, by her liberation,
their admiration of the statesman,

'* Who dreamt of freedom in a slave's embrace."

This single line gives more insight to the character
of the man, than whole volumes of panegyric. It
will outlive his epitaph, write it who may.

Jefferson was succeeded by Madison, a mere
reflex of his political opinions. If he wanted the
harsher points of Jefferson's character, he wanted
also its vigour. The system he pursued was indis-
tinguishable from that of his predecessor, and during
his Presidency the current of democracy flowed on
with increased violence and velocity. Munroe came
next, and becoming at length aware of the prevailing
tendencies of the constitution, was anxious to steer
a middle course. He organized a piebald cabinet,

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S26 JOHN QUINCT ADAMS.

composed of men of different opinions, and the result
of their conjunction was a sort of hybrid policy, half
federalist and half democratic, which gave satisfac-
tion to no party.

At the termination of Mr Munroe's second period
of office, Mr John Quincy Adams became his succes-
sor, by a sort of electioneering juggle which occa-
sioned a universal sentiment of disgust What the
principles of this statesman were, or are, seems a
matter not very intelligible to his own countrymen,
and of course is still less so to a foreigner. All
that is necessary to be known is, that at the expira-
tion of four years Mr Quincy Adams was turned
out, to the great satisfaction of the whole Union,
and that though he still continues in the healthy
enjoyment of all corporeal and mental functions,
there is assuredly no chance that he will ever again
be promoted to any office of political trust and im-
portance.

General Jackson, the present President, has always
been an eminent member of the democratic party.
His accession to office however, united to the expe-
rience of a long life, is understood to have induced a

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GENERAL JACKSON. 327

change in some of bis opinions, and a modification of
others. His policy is as moderate as the circum-
stances of the times will permit. On the Tariff ques-
tion his opinions are not precisely known, but he
decidedly opposes the application of the public
money, under direction of the federal government,
to projects of internal improvement.

General Jackson was certainly indebted for his
present elevation, to the reputation he acquired in
the successful defence of New Orleans. In truth, I
believe his popularity is rather military than poli-
tical, since even those — and they are many — who
dislike him as a politician, extol him as the first
general of the age, whose reputation beggars the
fame of the most celebrated modern strategists.

It is excusable to smile at this, but scarcely fair
to visit it with the severity of ridicule. New Orleans,
— ^for want of a better, — ^is the American Waterloo ;
and while the loss to England occasioned by this
disaster is a fixed quantity neither to be increased
nor diminished, why should we object to the display
of a little harmless vanity, or demand that our suc-
cessful opponents should measure the extent of their

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328 COLONEL BURR«

achievement rather by our standard than by their
own?

When talking of American statesmen, I may as
well detail a few circumstances connected with^ne,
who has certainly played a very conspicuous part in
the politics of his country. I allude to the cele-
brated Colonel Burr, formerly Vice-President of the
United States, and who, in 1800, was within a vote
of becoming President in opposition to Jefferson and
Adams. It is well known, that strong political
differences with General Hamilton, embittered by a
good deal of personal dislike, led to a duel, in which
Hamilton lost his life. To this misfortune is attri-
butable the entire ruin of Colonel Burr's prospects
as a statesman. Hamilton was admired by all par-
ties, and the voice of lamentation was heard from the
whole Union on the premature extinction of the
highest intellect of the country. There arose a gene-
ral and powerful feeling of indignation against the
author of this national calamity ; but Burr was not
a man to shrink from the pelting of any tempest,
however vehement. He braved its violence, but at

once knew that his popularity was gone for ever.

s

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Colonel BURti. 829

Subsequently he was concerned in some conspi-
racy to sieze on part of Mexico, of which he was to
become sovereign, by the style and title— I suppose
— of Aaron the First, King or Emperor of the Texas.
Colonel Burr was likewise accused of treason to
the commonwealth, in attempting to overthrow the
constitution by force of arms« But a veil of mys-
tery hangs around this portion of American history,
I have certainly read a great deal about it, and left
oflF nearly as wise as when I began. A conspiracy
of some sort did undoubtedly exist. Preparations
were in progress to collect an armament on the Ohio,
and there was some rumour of its descending the
Mississippi and seizing on New Orleans. Some of
Burr's followers were tried, but — unless my memory
deceives me— acquitted. At all events, materials
could not be discovered for the conviction of the
Great Catiline, whose projects, whether defensible or
not, were original, and indicative of the fearless
character of the man.

His acquittal, however, by two juries, was not
sufficient to establish his innocence in the opinion of
his countrymen. He was assailed by hatred and

VOL. I. 2 E

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380 VISIT TO COLONEL BURR.

execration ; his name was made a by- word for every
thing that was odious in morals, and unprincipled in
politics* It was under such circumstances that Burr
became an exile from his country for several years.
During that period he visited England, where he
attracted the jealous observation of the ministry,
and his correspondence with France being more fre-
quent than was quite agreeable, and of a cast some-
what too political, he received a polite invitation
to quit the country with the least possible delay.
Colonel Burr now lives in New York, secluded from
society, where his great talents and extensive pro-
fessional knowledge, still gain him some employ-
ment as a consulting lawyer.

A friend of miae at New York enquired whether
I should wish an interview with this distinguished
person. I immediately answered in the affirmative,
and a note was addressed to Colonel Burr, request-
ing permission to introduce me. The answer con-
tained a polite assent, and indicated an hour when
his avocations would permit his having sufficient
leisure for the enjoyment of conversation. At the
time appointed, my friend conveyed me to a house

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VISIT TO COLONEL BURR. 331

in one of the poorer streets of the city. The Colonel
received us on the landing place, with the manners
of a finished courtier, and led the way to his little
library, which — judging from the appearance of the
volumes — was principally furnished with works
connected with the law.

In person, Colonel Burr is diminutive, and I
was much struck with the resemblance he bears to
the late Mr Percival. His physiognomy is expres-
sive of strong sagacity. The eye keen, penetrating,
and deeply set ; the forehead broad and prominent ;
the mouth small, but disfigured by the ungraceful
form of the lips; and the other features, though
certainly not coarse, were irreconcilable with any
theory of beauty. On the whole, I have rarely seen
a more remarkable countenance. Its expression was
highly intellectual, but I imagined I could detect
the lines of strong passion mingled with those of
deep thought. The manners of Colonel Burr are
those of a highly bred gentleman. His powers of
conversation are very great, and the opinions he
expresses on many subjects marked by much shrewd-
ness and originality.

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382 VISIT TO COLONEL BURR.

When in England he had become acquainted with
many of the Whig leaders, and I found him per-
fectly versed in every thing connected with our
national politics.

It would be an unwarrantable breach of the con-
fidence of private life, were I to publish any parti-
culars of the very remarkable conversation I enjoyed
with this eminent person. I shall, therefore, merely
state, that having encroached perhaps too long, both
on the time and patience of Colonel Burr, I bade
him farewell, with sincere regret that a career of
public life, which had opened so brilliantly, should
not have led to a more fortunate termination.

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VOYAGE to BRUNSWICK. 333

CHAPTER X.

PHILADELPHIA.

On the 8th of January I again bade farewell to
New York, and embarked on board of a New Bruns-
wick steamer on my way to Philadelphia. Our course
lay up the Raritan river, which has nothing intC'*
resting to display in point of sceneryi and the morn*
ing being raw and gusty, the voyage was not parti-
cularly agreeable. It occupied about four hours,
and on reaching Brunswick we found a cavalcade
of nine stage-coaches, drawn up for the accommo-
dation of the passengers. In these we were des-
tined to cross the country between the Raritan and
Delaware, which forms part of the State of New
Jersey. In theory nothing could be easier than this
journey. The distance was only twenty-seven miles;

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384 JOURNEY TO PHILADELPHIA.

and in a thoroughfare so much travelled as that be-
tween the two great cities of the Union, it was at
least not probable that travellers would be subjected
to much inconvenience.

But theory and experience were, at variance in
this case, as in many others. We changed coaches
at every stage, and twice had the whole baggage of
the party to be unpacked and reloaded. The road
was detestable ; the jolting even worse than what I
had suffered on my journey from Providence to
Boston. For at least half the distance the coach
was axle-deep in mud, and once it fairly stuck in a
rut, and might have continued sticking till dooms-
day, had the passengers not dismounted to lighten
the vehicle. I enquired the reason of the disgrace-
ful neglect of this important line of communication,
and was answered, that as it was intended at some
future period to have a railway, it would be mere
folly to go to any expense in repairing it. Thus are
this intelligent people content to sacrifice a great
present benefit, to a mere speculative, and probably
remote contingency.

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ARRIVAL AT PHILADELPHIA. 335

The scenery through which our route lay was
devoid of beauty, and the soil wretchedly poor. The
whole country had evidently at one time been under
cultivation, but in much of it the plough had long
ceased from labour, and the forest had already
resumed its ancient rights* The weather added to
the bleakness of the landscape, and though the coach
crept on with the velocity of a tortoise, it was not till
long after dark that we reached Bristol. Here we
took boat again, and our troubles were at an end. A
plentiful dinner contributed to beguile the distance,
and the city clocks were in the act of chiming ten as
we landed on the quay of Philadelphia.

Having procured a coach, I drove to Head's hotel,
which had been recommended to me as one of the
best houses in the Union. Here I could only procure
a small and nasty bedroom, lighted by a few panes
of glass fixed in the wall, some eight or ten feet
from the floor. On the following morning, there-
fore, I removed to the United States Hotel, where I
found the accommodation excellent. My letters of
introduction were then despatched, with the result

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336 FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF PHILADELPHIA.

which my experience of American kindness had led
me to anticipate.

Philadelphia stands on an isthmus about two
miles wide j between the Delaware and the Schuyl*
kill. Below the city, both rivers are navigable for
vessels of any class, but the severity of the winter
climate generally causes an interruption to the com-
munication with the sea, of considerable duration.
As a great seat of commerce the advantage is alto-
gether on the side of New York. Philadelphia has
but trifling extent of river communication with the
interior. The Delaware is navigable only for about
thirty miles above the city, and the Schuylkill is too
full of shoals and rapids to be practicable for any
thing but small craft. To remedy this inconvenience
there are several canals, and others are in progress,
which must contribute largely to the prosperity of
the State.

There is nothing striking in the appearance of
Philadelphia when seen from the river. It stands on
a flat surface, and presents no single object of beauty
or grandeur to arrest the attention. Spires may be
monsters in architecture, but they are beautiful

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF PHILADELPHIA. 337

monsters, and the eye feels a sad want of them, as
it wanders over the unvaried extent of dull uniform
building presented by Philadelphia. When one en-
ters, the city the scene is certainly improved, but not
much. The streets are rather respectable than hand-
some, but there is everywhere so much appearance
of real comfort, that the traveller is at first delighted
with this Quaker paradise. He looks from the car-
riage windows prepared to see every thing couleur de
rose. The vehicle rolls on; he praises the clean-
ness and neatness of the houses, and every street
that presents itself seems an exact copy of those
which he has left behind. In short, before he has
got through half the city, he feels an unusual ten-
dency to relaxation about the region of the mouth,
which ultimately terminates in a silent but prolong-
ed yawn.

Philadelphia is mediocrity personified in brick
and mortar. It is a city laid down by square and
rule, a sort of habitable problem, — a mathematical
infringement on the rights of individual eccentri-
city, — a rigid and prosaic despotism of right angles

VOL. I. 2 F

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338 PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

and parallelograms* It may emphatically be call-
ed a comfortable city, that is, the bouses average
better than in any other with which I am acquaint-
ed. You here see no miserable and filthy streets,
the refuge of squalid poverty, forming a contrast to
the splendour of squares and crescents. No Dutch
town can be cleaner, and the marble stairs and win-
dow sills of the better houses, give an agreeable re-
lief to the red brick of which they are constructed.

Tlie public buildings are certainly superior to
any I have yet seen in America. Some of the
churches are handsome, and the United States Bank,
with its marble portico of Grecian Doric, gives evi-
dence, I trust, of an improving taste* I confess,
however, that my hopes on this matter are not very
strong. Even persons of information are evidently
unable to appreciate the true merit of the building
or the architect, and connect ridicule with both by
declaring the former to be ^^ the finest building in
the world ! " Is a poor traveller in the United States,
when continually beset by such temptation, to be
held utterly inexcusable, if he sometimes venture to
indulge in a sneer ?

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PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 339

The Bank of Pennsylvania is another structure
entitled to applause. Its front presents a flight of
steps sustaining an Ionic portico of six columns,
with an entablature and pediment. The banking-
house of Mr Girard, — the Coutts of the Union, — is
likewise handsome. Like the two buildings I have
already mentioned its whole front is of mai*ble, but in
taste it is far less chaste, and presents more faults
than I have time or inclination to enumerate. There
are likewise two buildings of some pretension, in
the Gothic style. Both are contemptible*

The State House, from which issued the declara-
tion of American independence, is yet standing. It
is built of brick, and consists of a centre and two
wings, without ornament of any sort. There is
something appropriate, and even imposing in its
very plainness. Above is a small cupola with a
clock, which at night is Uluminated by gas.

The Philadelphians, however, pride themselves
far more on their waterworks than on their State
House. Their lo Pecans on account of the former,
are loud and unceasing, and I must say, the annoy-
ance which these occasion to a traveller, is very con-

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340 WATERWORKS.

siderable. A dozen times arday was I asked whether I
had seen the waterworks, and on my answering in
the negative, I was told that I positively must yisit
them ; that they were unrivalled in the world ; that
no people but the Americans could have executed
such works, and by implication, that no one but an
Englishman, meanly jealous of American superiority,
would omit an opportunity of admiring their unri-
valled mechanism.

There is no accounting for the eccentricities of
human character. I had not heard these circum-
stances repeated above fifty times, ere I began to
run restive, and determined not to visit the water-
works at all. To this resolution I adhered, in
spite of all annoyance, with a pertinacity worthy of
a better cause. Of the waterworks of Philadelphia,
therefore, I know nothing, and any reader, particu-
larly solicitous to become acquainted with the prin-
ciple of this remarkable piece of machinery, must
consult the pages of other travellers.

I had the honour of being present at an annual
celebration of the American Philosophical Society.
About a hundred members sat down to a most ex*

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CHEERFULNESS OF THE PRISONERS. 341

cellent supper, and the wine and punch were equally
unimpeachable. The President, Mr Da Ponceauj
then made a speech, in which he gave a very inte-
resting account of the rise and progress of the So-
ciety to its present flourishing condition. It was
originally established by Franklin, and a few of his
fellow-tradesmen, who met in some back-room of an
obscure tavern, and having supped on bread and
cheese, enjoyed the feast of reason over a pot of
London Particular. The Society now includes in its
members all that America can boast of eminence
in literature or science.

On the following evening, I passed an hour or two
very agreeably at one of a series of meetings, which
are called " Wistar Parties," from the name of the
gentleman at whose house they were first held.
Their effect and influence on society must be very
salutary. These parties bring together men of differ-
ent classes and pursuits, and promote the free inter-
change of opinion, always useful for the correction
of prejudice. Such intercourse, too, prevents the
narrowness of thought, and exaggerated estimate of
the value of our own peculiar acquirements, which

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342 WISTAR PARTIES.

devotion to one exclusive object is apt to engender
in those who do not mix freely with the world.

These meetings are held by rotation at the houses
of the different members. The conversation is gene-
rally literary or scientific^ and as the party is usually
very large, it can be varied at pleasure. Philoso-
phers eat like other men, and the precaution of an
excellent supper is by no means found to be super-
fluous. It acts too as a gentle emollient on the acri-
mony of debate. No man can say a harsh thing
with his mouth full of turkey, and disputants forget
their differences in unity of enjoyment.

At these parties I met several ingenious men of a
class something below that of the ordinary members.
When an operative mechanic attracts notice by his
zeal for improvement in any branch of science, he
is almost uniformly invited to the Wistar meetings.
The advantage of this policy is obviously very
great. A modest and deserving man is brought into
notice. His errors are corrected, his ardour is sti-
mulated, his taste improved. A healthy connexion
is kept up between the different classes of society,
and the feeling of mutual sympathy is duly cherish"^

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PECULIARITIES O'P PHILADELPHIA. 343

ed. Daring my stay in Philadelphia I was present
at several of these Wistar meetings, and always
returned from them with increased conviction of
their beneficial tendency.

Most of the great American cities have a peculiar
character, — a sort of civic idiosyncracy, which dis-
tinguishes their population even to the eye of an
unpractised observer. There is no mistaking that
of Philadelphia ; it is Quaker all over. All things,
animate and inanimate, seem influenced by a spirit of
quietism as pervading as the atmosphere. The man-
ners of the higher orders are somewhat more reserved
than in other parts of the Union, and I must say
that all ranks are particuls^rly free from the besetting
sin of curiosity. Fortunately for travellers, it is not
here considered essential that they should disclose
every circumstance connected with their past life
and opinions.

Philadelphia is par excellence a city of mediocrity.
Its character is republican not democratic. One can
read the polities of its inhabitants in the very aspect
of the streets. A coarse and vulgar demagogue
would have no chance among a people so palpably

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344 PECULIARITIES OF PHILADELPHIA.

observant of the proprieties, both moral and political.
The Philadelphians are no traffickers in extremes of
any sort, and were I to form my opinion of a govern-
ment, from the impression made by its policy on
some particular district of the Union, I should cer-
tainly take this enlightened and respectable city as
the guide and standard of my creed.

The chief defect of Philadelphia is want of variety.
It is just such a city as a young lady would cut out
of a thread paper, —

Street answers street, each alley has a brother.
And half the city just reflects the other.

Something is certainly wanted to relieve that un-
broken uniformity, which tires the eye and stupifies
the imagination. One would give the world for
something to admire or to condemn, and would abso-
lutely rejoice, for the mere sake of variety, to en-
counter a row of log huts, or to get immersed in a
congress of dark and picturesque doses, such as de-
light all travellers — without noses — in the old town
of Edinburgh.

The Utilitarian principle is observed, even in

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PECULIARITIES OF PHILADELPHIA. 345

the nomenclatare of the streets. Those running
in one direction are denoted by the name of some
particular tree,-*-Buch as vine, cedar, chestnut, spruce,
&c. The cross-streets are distinguished by numbers,
so that a stranger has no difficulty in finding his
way, since the name of the street indicates its situa*
tion. Market Street is the great thoroughfare of the
city, and stretches from one river to the other, an
extent of several miles. The streets are generally
skirted by rows of Lombardy poplars, for what rea-
son I know not. They certainly give no shade, and
possess no beauty.

Notwithstanding the attractions of Philadelphia,
it was not my intention to have remained there
longer than a week, but while engaged in prepara-
tion for departure, a deep fall of snow came on, and
the communications of the city were at once cut off.
A week passed without intelligence from the north-
ward, and even the southern mails were several days
in arrear. The snow Fay deep on th'e streets, and
wheeled carriages were of necessity exchanged for
sledges, or, as they are usually called, sleighs. Of
course, it would have been absurd for a traveller,

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346 THE PENITENTIARY.

with no motive for expedition, to commence a jout'-
ney under such circumstances, and I determined to
prolong my stay until the roads should be reported
in such condition as to threaten no risk of detention
in my route to Baltimore.

During this interval I visited the Penitentiary.
It stands about two miles from the city, but owing
to the depth of snow, the sleigh could not approach
within a considerable distance of the building, and
the pedestrian part of the excursion presented much
difficulty. A thin icy crust had formed over the
surface of the snow, which often gave way beneath
the foot, and more than once I was immersed to the
shoulders.

I did, however, reach the Penitentiary at last. It
is a square granite building of great extent, with a
tower at each angle, and the walls enclose a space of
ten acres. In the centre of the area stands an ob-
servatory, from which it is intended that seven cor-
ridors shall radiate, but three only have been yet
completed. The cells are arranged on either side of
these corridors, with which they communicate by a
square aperture, which may be opened at pleasure

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SYSTEM OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT. 34T

from without. There is likewise a small eye-hole,
commanding a complete view of the cell, and at-
tached to each is a walled court, in which the pri-
soner may take exercise. The only entrance to the
cells lies through these court-yards.

The system pursued in this institution is entirely
different from that which, in a former part of this
volume, I have had occasion to describe. No punish-
ment is permitted within its walls but that of solitary
confinement. Nothing is left to the discretion of the
gaoler, or his assistants, and all risk of abuse is thus
obviated. I cannot but consider this as an inesti-
mable advantage. If discretionary power be con-
fessedly dangerous when exercised by a judge in
open court, under the strong check of public opinion,
what are we to say of it when confided to a gaoler,
and exercised without responsibility of any sort,
amid the secrecy of his prisonhouse ?

The warder of the establishment struck me as a
person of much enthusiasm and believolence* He
evidently took pleasure in affording every informa-
tion in regard to the practical operation of the sys-
tem, though its introduction is too recent to afford

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348 DISCIPLINE OF THE PRISON.

room for any conclusive appeal to experience. The
punishment originally contemplated in this prison
was solitary confinement, unmitigated by labour. Ah
experience is against the practicability of combining
this system with the continuance of bodily health
and mental sanity in the prisoners. It was therefore
wisely given up, and of that adopted in its stead I
shall now offer a few details.

A convict, on arriving at the prison, is blind-
folded, and conveyed to a room, where his hair is
cut, and after a complete personal ablution, he is led
with the same precaution, to the cell destined for his
reception. He is thus kept in ignorance of the
localities of the prison, and the chances of escape
are diminished, flach cell is provided with an iron
bedstead, a comfortable mattrass, two blankets, and
a pillow. There is likewise a water-cock and tin
mug, so that the prisoner may supply himself ad
libitum with the pure element. The cells are heated
by pipes, and though I visited the prison in the very
coldest weather, the temperature was very pleasant.

When a prisoner is first received, he is uniformly
left to enjoy the full privilege of solitary idleness ;

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CHEERFULNESS OF THE PRISONERS. 349

but in the course of a short time he generally makes
application for work, and for a Bible. Each man
is permitted to select his own trade, and those who
understand none when they enter the prison are
taught one. The allowance of food is good and plen-
tiful, but those who refuse to work, are kept on
a reduced allowance. Their number, however, is
exceedingly small, and the great majority consider
even the temporary withdrawal of work as a severe
punishment.

Having taken up rather strong opinions with re-
gard to the injurious influence of solitary confine-
ment, I was rather anxious to have an opportunity
of conversing with a few of the prisoners. To this
no objection was made, and I was accordingly usher-
ed into the cell of a black shoemaker, convicted of
theft, whom I found very comfortably seated at his
trade. I asked him many questions, which he an-
swered with great cheerfulness. He had been con-
fined — I thiok — for eighteen months, yet this long
period of separation from his fellow-creatures had
occasioned no derangement of bis functions, bodily
or mental. I likewise conversed with two other

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360 DEFECTS OF THE PENITENTIARY.

prisoners, and the result of my observations cer-
tainly was the conviction, that solitary confinement,
when associated with labour, is by no means liable
to the objections which I have often heard urged to
its adoption as a punishment. I have likewise the
assurance of the warder, that during his whole expe-
rience, he has not known a single instance of the
discipline adopted being found prejudicial to health,
either of mind or body.

There is undoubtedly much that is admirable in
this Penitentiary, but I am not sure that either the
plan or the practice of the establishment is so perfect
as to admit of no improvement. In the first place,
I cannot but think that the Panopticon principle is
on the whole preferable. Facility of supervision is
always important, and there is no point in the pre-
sent prison from which the keeper can command a
general and complete view, either of the cells or of
the exercise yards. The central observatory com-
mands only the corridors. In the second place, it
strikes me as a defect that there should be no en-
trance to the cells from the corridors, by which a
far more ready and convenient access would be ob-

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DEFECTS OP THE PENITEHTIAHY. 851

tained. There is also a defect in the construction
of the exercise courts, in which it is quite possible
for the adjoining prisoners to hold conversation.

There is no chapel attached to this establishment^
and when divine service is performed, the clergy-
man takes his station at the head of the corridors ;
the apertures communicating with the cells are
thrown open, and his voice I am assured, is dis-
tinctly audible, even by the most distant prisoner.
Strange to say, however — and I confess that in a
state so religious as Pennsylvania, the fact struck me
with astonishmeut — morning and evening prayers
are unknown in the Penitentiary. Surely, it is both
wholesome and fitting that the days of these suffer-
ing criminals should be begun and ended by an ap-
peal to the mercy of that Maker, whose laws they
have offended. It is true, that divine service is per-
formed once every Sunday, but this will scarcely be
held sufficient, either by the moralist who simply
regards the interest of society in the reformation of
a criminal, or by him whose philanthropy is connect-
ed with the higher hopes and motives of religion.

On the whole, I am inclined to prefer the system

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352 COMPARISON OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT

of solitary confinement to that adopted in the pri-
sons at Auburn and Charleston. The former obvi-
ates all necessity for punishment of any kind, beyond
that inflicted by the execution of the sentence.
Whatever be his sufferings, the prisoner has the dis-
tinct knowledge that they are not arbitrary or extra-
judicial* Even amidst the solitude of his cell, he feels
that he is in one sense a free man. He undergoes
the sentence of the law, but he is not dependent on
the capricious discretion of those by whom he is
surrounded. In Charleston each prisoner knows
himself to be a slave. His punishment is in truth
unlimited, for its only measure is the conscience of
his gaoler, an unknown and indeterminate quantity.
There is nothing humiliating in solitary confine-
ment. The interests of society are protected by the
removal of the criminal, while the new circumstances
in which he is placed are precisely the most favour-
able to moral improvement. It is the numerous
temptations of the world, the scope which it affords
for the gratification of strong passion, that overpower
the better principles implanted in the heart of the
most depraved of mankind. Remove these tempta-

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WITH THE CHARLESTON SYSTEM. 353

tionS) place the criminal in a situation where there
are no warring influences to mislead his judgment ;
let him receive religious instruction, and be taught
the nature and extent of his moral obligations, and
when, after such preparation, he is left to reflection,
and communion with his own conscience, all that
human ^ency can eflbct, has probably been done
for his reformation.

Solitary confinement contributes to all this. It
throws the mind of the criminal back upon itself. It
forces him to think who never thought before. It
removes all objects which can stimulate the evil
passions of his nature. It restores the prisoner to
society, if not ^^ a wiser and a better man," at least
undegraded by a course of servile submission. His
punishment has been that of a man, not of a brute.
He has suffered privation, but not indignity. He has
submitted to the law, and to the law alone, and what*
ever debasement may still attach to his character, is
the offspring of his crime, not of its penalty.

The other system is far less favourable I should
imagine to moral improvement. The gaoler must

VOL. I. 2 G

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354 COMPARISON OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT

necessarily appear to the prisoners in the light of an
arbitrary tyrant. He id an object of fear and hatred.
His inflictions are accompanied by none of the so«
lemnities of justice, and they are naturally followed
by smothered rancour and desire of revenge. Even
where there is no abuse of authority, it is impossible
for those subjected to it, to appreciate the motives
for its rigid exercise. They cannot be supposed to
discriminate between severity and cruelty.

All this is unfortunate. The character of the pri-
soners is rendered callous to shame, while their evil
passions are in a state of permanent excitement.
They are taught obedience like spaniels, and by
the same means. They are forced down to the very-
lowest point of human debasement. Never again
shall these men know the dignity of self-respect ;
never again can they feel themselves on a level with
their fellow-men. Human endurance can extend no
further than they have carried it, and it were well
that American legislators should remember, that it
is easy to degrade the freeman, but impossible to
elevate the slave.

One gi*eat advantage belongs to. the Philadelphia
3

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WITH THE CHARLESTON SYSTEM. 355

system. A prisoner on being discharged enters the
world without danger of recognition, and thus enjoys
the benefit of starting with a fair character. If his
confinement has been long, disease and the gibbet
have probably disposed of the great majority of his
former companions in crime, and in a country like
the United States, nothing but honest industry is
wanting to the attainment of independence. But
a convict discharged from a prison like those of
Charleston and Auburn, must continue through life
^a marked man. His face is known to thousands, and
go where he will — unless he fly altogether from the
haunts of men — the story of his past life will follow
him. Excluded from communion with the more
respectable portion of the community, he will pro-
bably again seek his associates among the dissolute.
His former course of crime will then be renewed, and
all hope of reformation will be at an end for ever.

It is impossible, however, to praise too highly that
active benevolence which in America takes so deep
an interest in the reformation of the objects of
punishment. lu their ameliorations of prison dis-
cipline, the people of this country have unquestion-

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366 UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ably taken the lead of £lurope. In old established
communities the progress of improvement is neces-
sarily slow, and there are difficulties to be overcome
which are fortunately unknown on this side of the
Atlantic. Let the Americans, therefore, continue as
they have begun, to lead the way in this important
department of practical philanthropy. By doing so,
they will earn a distinction for their country more
honourable than could result from the highest emi-
nence in arts, or achievements in arms.

Of all the American colleges beyond the limits of
New England, that of Pennsylvania is perhaps the
most distinguished. Its medical school is decidedly
so, and an Esculapian armed with a Philadelphia
diploma, is held to commit slaughter on his fellow-
creatures according to the most approved principles
of modern science. Till within a few years, how-
ever, the scientific and literary departments of this
institution had fallen into comparative neglect. But
a revolution in an American college is an easier
affair than the introduction of the most trifling
change in such establishments as Oxford or Cam-
bridge. The statutes were revised by a board of

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UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 357

trustees appointed for the purpose. The system
of education was corrected and enlarged, and men
of competent talent and acquirements were invited
to preside over the various departments of instruct-
tion. A new edifice was erectedj and an extensive
addition made to the former beggarly account of
philosophical apparatus. The natural consequences
followed. The number of students was considerably
increased, and the benefits of the institution were
augmented not only in magnitude, but in extent of
diffusion.

In this establishment there is no discretion per-
mitted in regard to the course of study to be follow-
ed by the student. Every one is compelled to travel
in the same track, and to reach the same point,
whatever may be his future destination in life. It is
perhaps quite right that such portions of a univer-
sity course should be considered imperative, as relate
to the preparatory dev^Iopement of the intellectual
powers, but it does appear somewhat absurd to insist
on cramming every boy with mathematics, chemis-
try, and natural philosophy. In America, the period
devoted to education is so short, that there can be

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858 SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

no folly greater than that of frittering it away in a
variety of pursuits, which contribute little to the
general elevation of the intellect. It is the certain
result of attempting too much, that nothing will be
accomplished. With such a system of education the
standard of acquirement must of necessity be greatly
lower than in other countries, where excellence in
some one department constitutes the great object of
individual ambition. The truth of this position is in
perfect accordance with the state of knowledge in
America. In illustration of it, I shall direct the
attention of the reader to an extract from the report
of the Board of Trustees of this very University of
Pennsylvania. Alluding to the prescribed course of
education, these gentlemen assure the public, that
" Its object is to communicate a profound and CTxii"
cal knowkdge of the classics ; an extensive acquaint
tance with the different branches of mathematical
science^ natural philosophy^ and chemistry^ combined
with cUl the varieties of knowledge comprehended
within the sphere of moral philosophy, logic, rhetoric,
metaphysics, and the evidences of Christianity, This
course of instruction will occupy FOUR YEARS 1 "

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FOLLOWED IN THE UNIVERSITY. 359

Had the number of years to be devoted to the
acquisition of this vast mass of knowledge heen/orty
instead otjbur, the promise of the Board of Trustees
might still have been objectionable on the score of
hyperbole. In Europe no body of gentlemen con*
nected with any public seminary durst have ven-
tured on such a statement. Respect for their own
character, and the certainty of ridicule, would have
prevented it. But in America it is different. The
standard of knowledge being there infinitely lower,
the Trustees promised nothing more than they might
reasonably hope to accomplish. On the Western
shores of the Atlantic, a young man is believed to
have *^SL profound and critical knowledge of the
classics," when he can manage to construe a pass-
age of Caesar or Virgil, and — by the help of the lexi-
con — haply of Xenophon or Anacreon. And so with
the other branches of acquirement. In mathematics,
it is scarcely meant to be implied that the student
shall have mastered the works of La Grange or La
Place ; nor in metaphysics, that he shall even under-
stand the philosophy of Kant or Cousin, but simply
that he shall have acquired enough to constitute, in

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S60 REMARKS ON EDUCATION.

the eyes of the American public, ^^ an extensive
acquaintance with the different branches of mathe-
matical science, combined with all the varieties of
knowledge comprehended within the sphere of moral
philosophy, logic, rhetoric, and metaphysics."

It thus appears that what in one country would
be nothing better than impudent quackery, becomes
the language of sober truth in another. The same
terms carry different meanings on different sides of
the water, and the cause of the discrepancy is too
obvious to be mistaken. Having alluded to this sub-
ject, I would willingly be permitted to offer a few
observations on the interesting question, How far
the condition of society in the United States, and
the influence of its institutions are favourable, or
otherwise, to the cultivation of philosophy and the
higher literature ?

The termination of the Revolutionary war left the
United States with a population graduating in civil-
isation from slaves to planters. The scale went low
enough, but unfortunately not very high. The great
mass of the white population, especially in the
Northern States, were by no means deficient in such

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STATE OF LITERATURE. 361

education as was suited to their circumstances. In
a country to which abject poverty was happily a
stranger, there existed few obstacles to the general
diffusion of elementary instruction. But between
the amount of acquirement of the richer and the
poorer orders, little disparity existed. Where the
necessity of labour was imposed on all, it was not
probable that any demand should exist for learning
not immediately connected with the business of life.
To the grower of indigo or tobacco ; to the feller of
timber, or the retailer of cutlery and dry goods,
the refinements of literature were necessarily un-
known. In her whole population America did not
number a single scholar, in the higher acceptation
of the term, and had every book in her whole terri-
tory been contributed to form a national library, it
would not have afforded the materials from which
a scholar could be framed.

It is true, that in several of the States there existed
colleges, but these were little better than schools
without the necessary discipline ; and had their pre-
tensions been greater, it is very certain that such poor

VOL. I. 2 H

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362 ERRORS IN REGARD TO EDUCATION.

and distant establishments could offer no inducement
to foreigners of high acquirement to exchange ^^ the
ampler ether, the diviner air," of their native uni-
versities, for the atmosphere of Yale or Harvard.
At all events, the Americans had no desire to draw
our men of letters from their learned retreats. In
the condition of society I have described, it was im-
possible that learning should engross any portion
of the public favour. Even to the present day, the
value of education in the United States is estimated,
not by its result on the mind of the student, in
strengthening his faculties, purifying his taste, and
enlarging and elevating the sphere of thought and
consciousness, hut hy the amount of available know-
ledge which it enables him to bring to the common busi^
ness of life.

The consequences of this error, when participated
in by a whole nation, have been most pernicious. It
has unquestionably contributed to perpetuate the
very ignorance in which it originated. It has done
its part, in connexion with other causes, in depriving
the United States of the most enduring source of

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EDUCATION OF THE CLERGY. 863

national greatness. Nor can we hope that the evil
will be removed, until the vulgar and unworthy
sophistry which has imposed on the judgment, even
of the most intelligent Americans, shall cease to in-
fluence some wiser and unborn generation.

The education of the clergy differed in little from
that of laymen. Of theological learning there was
none, nor did there exist the means of acquiring it.
It is probable, that within the limits of the United
States, there was not to be found a single copy of the
works of the Fathers. But this mattered not. Pro-
testantism is never very amenable to authority, and
least of all when combined with democracy. Neither
the pastors nor their flocks were inclined to attach
much value to primitive authority, and from the solid
rock of the Scriptures, each man was pleased to hew
out his own religion, in such form and proportions
as were suited to the measure of his taste and know-
ledge. It was considered enough that the clergy could
read the Bible in their vernacular tongue, and ex-
pound its doctrines to the satisfaction of a congrega-
tion, not more learned than themselves. To the pre-
sent day, in one only of the colleges has any provision

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864 WANT OF BOOKS

been made for clerical education. Many of the reli-
gious sects, however, have established theological
academies, in which candidates for the Ministry
may, doubtless, acquire such accomplishment as is
deemed necessary for the satisfactory discharge of
their high function.*

In short, the state of American society is such as
to afford no leisure for any thing so unmarketable as
abstract knowledge. For the pursuit of such studies,
it is necessary that the proficient should ^^ fit au-
dience find though few." He must be able to calcu-

* The American Almanac for 1831 contains a list of all the theo-
logical establishments in the United States, with the number of stu-
dents at each seminary, and of the Tolumes contained in its library.
According to this document, the whole number of theological stu-
dents is 657. The combined aggregate of volumes in possession of
all the institutions is 43,450. The best furnished library in the list
is that of the theological department of Yale College, which con-
tains 8000 volumes. None of the others approach nearly to this
amount. The institution of New Hampton possesses only 100
volumes, and is attended by fourteen students. Calculating each
book to consist, on the average, of three volumes, the New Hampton
library contains thirty-three works on theology. But this is not all.
Seven of these establishments possess no libraries at aU, so that the
earning of the students must come by inspiration. Until the year
1808, no seminaries for religious instruction appear to have existed
in the United States. One was founded in that year, another in
1812, but the great majority are of far more recent origin.

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OPINIONS OF JEFFERSON. 365

late on sympathy at least, if not encouragement,
and assuredly be would find neither in the United
States.

Whatever were the defects of Jefferson, he seems
to have been impressed with a deep consciousness of
the deficiencies of his countrymen. He saw that the
elements of knowledge were diffused every where,
but that all its higher fruits were wanting. He
endeavoured, not only to rouse his countrymen to
a sense of their intellectual condition, but to pro-
vide the means by which it might be improved.
With this view he founded a university in his
native State, and his last worldly anxieties were
devoted to its advancement. Jefferson felt strongly,
that while philosophy and literature were excluded
from the fair objects of professional ambition, and
the United States continued to be dependent for
all advances in knowledge on importations from
Europe, she was wanting in the noblest element
of national greatness. Though the commerce of
mind be regulated by loftier principles than more
vulgar traffic, it should consist, unquestionably, of
exchange of some kind. To receive, and not to give,

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366 CONDITION OF AMERICAN SOCIETY

is to subsist on charity ; to be a mute and changeling
in the great family of nations.

The obstacles to success, however, were too great
for the powers of Jefferson to overcome. In a com-
munity where the gradations of opulence constitute
the great distinction between man and man, the
pursuits which lead most readily to its attainment
will certainly engross the whole volume of national
talent. In England there are various coexistent
aristocracies which act as mutual correctives, and
by multiplyiug the objects of ambition, give am-
plitude and diffusion to its efforts. In America there
exists but one, and the impulse it awakens is, of
course, violent in proportion to its concentration.
Jefferson, therefore, failed in this great object, to-
wards the accomplishment of which his anxious
efforts were directed. As a politician, he exercised
a far greater influence over the national mind than
any other statesman his country has produced. But
in his endeavours to direct the intellectual impulses
of his countrymen towards loftier objects, the very
structure of society presented an insuperable barrier
to success.

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UNFAVOURABLE TO LITERATURE. 367

I am aware, it will be urged, that the state of
things I have described is merely transient, and that
when population shall become more dense, and in*
creased competition shall render commerce and agri-
culture less lucrative, the pursuits of science and
literature will engross their due portion of the
national talent. I hope it may be so, but yet it can-
not be disguised, that there hitherto has been no
visible approximation towards such a condition of
society. In the present generation of Americans, I
can detect no symptom of improving taste, or in-
creasing elevation of intellect. On the contrary,
the fact has been irresistibly forced on my convic-
tion, that they are altogether inferior to those, whose
place, in the course of nature, they are soon destined
to occupy. Compared with their fathers, I have no
hesitation in pronouncing the younger portion of the
richer classes to be less liberal, less enlightened, less
observant of the proprieties of life, and certainly far
less pleasing in manner and deportment.

In England every new generation starts forward
into life with advantages far superior to its prede-
cessor. Each successive crop — if I may so write —

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368 PROSPECTS IN REGARD TO LITERATURE.

of legislators, is marked by increase of knowledge
and enlargement of thought. The standard of
acquirement necessary to attain distinction in public
life, is now confessedly higher than it was thirty
years ago. The intellectual currency of the country^
instead of being depreciated, has advanced in value,
while the issue has been prodigiously enlarged.
True, there are no giants in our days, but this may
be in part at least accounted for, by a general in-
crease of stature in the people. We have gained at
least an inch upon our fathers, and have the gratify^
ing prospect of appearing diminutive when compared
with our children.

But if this be so in America, I confess my obser-^
ration is at fault. I can discern no prospect of her
soon becoming a mental benefactor to the world*
Elementary instruction, it is true, has generally kept
pace with the rapid progress of population; but
while the steps of youth are studiously directed to
the base of the mountain of knowledge, no facilities
have been provided for scaling its summit. There
IS at this moment nothing in the United States wor-
thy of the name of a library. Not only is there an

Digitized by VjOOQIC

OBSTACLES TO IMPROTEMENT. 369

(entire absence of learning, in the higher sense of the
term, but an absolute want of the material from which
alone learning can be extracted. At present an
American migbt study every book within the limits
of the Union, and still be regarded in many parts of
Europe — especially in Germany — as a man compa-
ratively ignorant. And why does a great nation thus
voluntarily continue in a state of intellectual destitu-
tion so anomalous and humiliating ? There are libra-
ries to be sold in Europe. Books might be imported
in millions. Is it poverty, or is it ignorance of their
value, that withholds America from the purchase ? *
I should be most happy to believe the former.

In one point of view at least, the strong — and I
fear not to say, the insuperable prejudice against the

* The value of books imported from Europe during the year 1829-
30 for public institutious, amounted only to 10,829 dollars ! Even of
this wretched sum, I am assured the greater part was expended in
works strictly new. Of the old treasures of learning, America
seems content to remain destitute.

In regard to science, it is a fact scarcely credible, that the second
maritime power in the world does not at the present moment possess
a single astronomical observatory, and is dependent on France and
England for the calculations of an ephemeris by which her ships may
be enabled in tolerable safety to navigate the ocean !

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S70 INFLUENCE OF THE GOVERNMENT

claims of primogeniture^ is unfavourable to national
advancement. It must continue to prevent any large
accumulations of individual wealth, and the forma-
tion of a class which might afford encouragement to
those branches of science and literature, which can-
not be expected from their very nature to become
generally popular. Nor is it likely that the impedi-
ments to which I have alluded, will be at all dimi-
nished by the character of the government, on which
I shall hazard a few observations.

When we speak of a government being popular
or otherwise, we mean that it is more or less influ-
enced by the prevailing currents of opinion and
feeling in those subjected to its action. A highly
popular government, therefore, can neither be in
advance of the average intelligence of a people, nor
can it lag behind it. It is, and must be, the mere
reflex of the public mind in all its strength and
weakness; the representative not only of its high-
er qualities and virtues, but of all the errors, follies,
passions, prejudices, and ignorances by which it is
debased.

It is in vain, therefore, to expect from such a

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IN REaARD TO LITERATURE. 371

government any separate and independent action.
It cannot react upon, it is merely cooperative with,
the people. It embodies no self-existent or coun-
tervailing influence. It is only when it ceases to be
expressly representative, and stands on a firmer
basis than mere popular favour, that a government
' can acquire a positive and determinate character,
and be recognised as an influence distinct from that
of national opinion.

Neither in the American legislative or executive,
is there any thing of this latter character discernible.
The institutions of the United States afford the
purest specimen the world has yet seen, of a repre-
sentative government ; of an executive, whose duties
are those of mere passive agency ; of a legislative,
which serves but as the vocal organ of the sole and
real dictator, the people. Into whatever speculations,
therefore, we may be induced to enter, either with
regard to the present condition or further prospects
of the United States, it would be mere folly to attri-
bute influence of any kind to a government, which,
in truth, is nothing more than a mere recipient of
popular impulse.

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3T2 WANT OF MANAGEMENT

To an American of talent, there exist no objects
to stimulate political ambition, save the higher
offices of the federal government, or of the indivi-
dual States, The latter, indeed, are chiefly valued
for the increased facilities they afford for the attain*
ment of the former ; but to either, the only passport
is popular favour. Acquirements of any sort, there-^
fore, which the great mass of the people do not
value, or are incapable of appreciating, are of no
practical advantage, for they bring with them nei-
ther fame, nor more substantial reward. But this
is understating the case. Such knowledge, if dis-
played at al], would not merely be a dead letter in
the qualifications of a candidate for political power,
it would oppose a decided obstacle to his success.
The sovereign people in America are given to be
somewhat intolerant of acquirement, the immediate
utility of which they cannot appreciate, but which
they do feel has imparted something of mental supe-
riority to its possessor. This is particularly the case
with regard to literary accomplishment. The cry
of the people is for " equal and universal education ;"
and attainments which circumstances have placed

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TO ABSTRACT KNOWLEDGE. 313

beyond their own reach, they would willingly dis-
countenance in others.

It is true, indeed, that with regard to mere pro-
fessional acquirements, a different feeling prevails.
The people have no objection to a clever surgeon or
a learned physician, because they profit by their
skill. An ingenious mechanic they respect. There
is a fair field for a chemist or engineer. But in
regard to literature, they can discover no practical
benefit of which it is productive. In their eyes it
is a mere appanage of aristocracy, and whatever
mental superiority it is felt to confer, is at the ex-
pense of the self-esteem of less educated men. I have
myself heard in Congress the imputation of scholar-
ship bandied as a reproach; and if the epithet of
** literary gentleman" may be considered as malig-
nant, as it did sometimes appear to be gratuitous,
there assuredly existed ample apology for the indig-
nant feeling it appeared to excite. The truth I believe
is, that in their political representatives, the people
demand just so much knowledge and accomplishment
as they conceive to be practically available for the
promotion of their own interciis. This, m their

Digitized by VjOOQIC

374 EFFECT OF DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS

opinion, is enough. More were but to.gild refined
gold, and paint the lily, operations which could add
nothing to the value of the metal, or the fragrance
of the flower.

The consequence of all this has been, that the
standard of judgment, in regard to public men, is de*
cidedly lower in the United States than in most
countries of Europe. It is perhaps natural, that
the demand for political accomplishment should not
precede its necessity, and I am far from wishing
to assert, that American statesmen have not been
hitherto found adequate to all the wants of the com-
monwealth. But if it be the great object of enlight-
ened institutions to encourage the development of the
highest faculties, and, generally, to raise man in the
scale of intellectual being ; if knowledge be confess-
edly power, and freedom from prejudice a nobler
enfranchisement than mere physical liberty, then
I fear that, in reference to this great and ultimate
function, those of the United States will be found
wanting. I am far .from arguing, that science and
literature should be indebted for their promotion to
a system of direct encouragement. Such policy is al-

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ON THE MIND OF THE COUNTRY. 375

ways dubious, and has rarely proved successful.
But I certainly regard as one most important stand-
ard of excellence in a government, the degree in
which, by its very constitution^ it tends to call into ac-
tion the higher powers and qualities of the human
mind. It is a poor policy, which, in matters of in-
tellect, looks not beyond the necessities of the pre-
sent hour. There is no economy so shortsighted,
as that which would limit the expenditure of mind,
and assuredly the condition of society cannot be de-
sirable, in which great qualities of every sort do not
find efficient excitement and ample field for display.

How far the influences, which have hitherto pre-
vented the intellectual advancement of the Ameri-
cans, may hereafter be counteracted by others more
favourable to the cultivation of learning, I presume
not to predict. There is certainly no deficiency of
talent in the United States ; no deficiency of men,
stored even to abundance with knowledge, practi-
cally applicable to the palpable and grosser wants of
their countrymen. But of those higher branches of
acquirement^ which profess not to minister to mere

Digitized by VjOOQIC

376 KNOWLEDGE NOT VALUED.

vulgar necessities, or to enlarge tbe sphere of physi-
cal enjoyment, and of which the only result is the
elevation of the intellect, I fear it must be acknow-
ledged she has not yet been taught even to appreciate
tbe value.

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AMERICAN NAVAL OFFICERS.

CHAPTER XL

PHILADELPHIA.

The United States' hotel, where I had taken up
my abode, was a favourite resort of American naval
officers. An opportunity was thus afforded me, of
forming acquaintance with several, to whom I was
indebted for many kind and most obliging attentions.
It must be confessed, that these republicans have
carried with them their full share of *^ Old Albion's
spirit of the sea," for better sailors, in the best and
highest acceptation of the term, I do not believe the
world can produce. During the course of my tour,
I had a good deal of intercourse with the members
of this profession ; and I must say, that in an officer
of the United States' navy, I have uniformly found,
not only a well-informed gentleman, but a person

VOL. I. 2 I

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378 NAVAL YARD.

on whose kindness and good offices to a stranger, I
might with confidence rely. They betray nothing
of that silly spirit of bluster and bravado, so preva-
lent among other classes of their countrymen ; and
even in conversing on the events of Ihe late war,
they spoke of their successes in a tone of modesty
which tended to raise even the high impression I had
already received of their gallantry.

In company with one of these gentlemen I visited
the Navy Yard, and went over a splendid line-of-
battle ship, the Pennsylvania. She is destined to
carry a hundred and forty-four guns; and is, I
believe, the largest ship in the world. I likewise
inspected a magnificent frigate called the Raritan.
Both of these vessels are on the stocks, but I was
assured that a couple of months would suffice at any
time to make them ready for sea. They are com-
pletely covered in from the weather; and every
aperture of the wood is carefully filled with sea-salt
to prevent decay. Great faith is placed in the effi-
cacy of this preservative.

Messrs Carey and Lea are the chief booksellers
of Philadelphia, and, I believe, of the Union. Their

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REPRINTS OF ENGLISH IVORKS. 379

establisbment is very extensive, and they are evi-
dently men of much sagacity and enterprise. The
principal part of their business consists in issuing
reprints of English works, which, either from
their merit or their notoriety, may be expected to
have a considerable circulation on this side of the
water. Of original publications the number is com-
paratively small ; though, I am told, of lat« years it
has considerably increased.

The three great publishing cities of the Union are
Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. From the
first and last of these places I have seen some very
respectable specimens of typography ; but, in gene-
ral, the reprints of English works are executed in
the coarsest and most careless manner. It is quite a
mistake to suppose that books are cheaper in the
United States than in England. If there were no
copyright, and the British public would be content
to read books printed in the most wretched manner
on whitey-brown paper, there can be no doubt that
the English bibliopole would beat his American bro-
ther out of the field. A proof of this is, that the
British editions of works of which the copyright

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880 LAW OF COPYRIGHT.

bae expired, arc quite as cheap, and much superior
in execution, to those produced in this country*

Copyright in the United States is not enjoyable
by a foreigner, though an American can hold it in
England. The consequence is, that an English
author derives no benefit from the republication of
his work in America, while every Englishman who
purchases the work of an American, is taxed in order
to put money in the pocket of the latter. There is
no reciprocity in this ; and it is really not easy to
see why Mr Washington Irving or Mr Cooper should
enjoy greater privileges in this country than are
accorded to Mr Bulwer or Mr Theodore Hook in the
United States. There is an old proverb, " What is
good for the goose is good for the gander," which .
will be found quite as applicable to the policy of
Parliament as the practice of the poultry-yard. It is
to be hoped this homely apophthegm will not escape
the notice of the Government, and that by an act of
signal justice, (the abolition of American copyright
in England,) it will compel the United States to
adopt a wiser and more liberal system.

All novels, good, bad, and indifferent, which ap-

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AMERICAN BOOKS. 38 1

pear in England, seem to be reprinted in this coun-
try. Indeed, the American appetite in this respect
is apparently quite as indiscriminate as our own.
A good deal also of the more valuable British
literature issues from the Philadelphia press, but
in the most democratic form. I have been some-^
times amused at observing the entire transmogrifica-
tion undergone by one of Mr Murray's hot-pressed
and broad-margined volumes under the hands of an
American bookseller. It enters his shop a three
guinea quarto ; it comes out a four and twopenny
duodecimo. The metamorphosis reminds one of a
lord changing clothes with a beggar. The man is
the same, but he certainly owes nothing to the
toilet. —

The Americans are as jealous on the subject of
their literature as on other matters of national pre-
tension. The continual importation of European
books contributes to excite a consciousness of infe-
riority which is by no means pleasant. There are
many projects afloat for getting rid of this mental
bondage, and establishing intellectual independence.
By one party it is proposed to exclude English works

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382 JEALOUSY OF BRITISH LITERATURE.

altogether, and forbid their republication under a
high penalty. *^ Americans," say the advocates of
this system, " will never write books, when they can
be had so cheaply from England. Native talent is
kept under ; it wants protection against the compe-
tition of foreign genius. Give it the monopoly of
the home market ; deal with intellect as you do with
calico and broad-cloth, and do not prematurely
force our literary labourers into a contest with
men enjoying the advantages of larger libraries,
learning, and leisure." In short, what these gentle-
men want is, that ignorance and barbarism should
be established by legislative enactment, a policy
which, till America has suffered more than she has
yet done from the inroads of knowledge, will pro-
bably strike a foreigner as somewhat gratuitous.

If the American legislature, however, has not done
this, it has certainly done what is something akin
to it. A duty of thirty cents, or about fifteen pence
a-pound, is charged on all imported books, which, in
every point of view, is highly injudicious. In the
first place, American books require no protection,
because the expense of copyright, and of transport.

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IMPOLICY OF DUTY ON BOOKS. 383

is far more than enough to secure to native book-
sellers the undisturbed possession of their own mar-
ket. When a book is of a character to lead to re-
publication in the United States, of course the only
effect of the duty is to force those, who might wish
handsomer and better copies, to furnish their li-
braries with inferior matei*ial. The number of these
however, would be found very small. In this coun*
try, when a book is once read, it is cast aside and
thought of no more. In comparatively few instances,
is it bound and consigned to the shelves of the book-
case, and therefore it is, that the purchasers of books
almost uniformly prefer the very cheapest form. The
injurious effect, however, of the duty on imported
works, is felt with regard to those which, although
valuable, are not of a character to repay the cost of
republication. The duty in all such cases acts not
as a protection — for when the book is not reprinted
there is nothing to protect — ^but as a tax upon knoW"
ledge ; or, in other words, a premium for the perpe-
tuation of ignorance.

During my stay at Philadelphia, I frequently
visited the courts of law. The proceedings I hap-

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884 COURTS OF LAW.

pened to witness were in nothing remarkable, and I
have already described the externals of an American
Court. It is not unusual among the lower orders
in England, when any knotty point is proposed for
discussion, to say it would '^ puzzle a Philadelphia
lawyer." To do * this, however, it must be knotty
indeed, for I have never met a body of men more
distinguished by acuteness and extensive profes-
sional information than the members of the Phila^
delphia bar.

In the American courts there is much tacit respect
paid to English decisions, each volume of which is
reprinted in this country as soon as it appears. In-
deed, but for these, law in America would soon
become an inextricable jumble. It is impossible to
expect much harmony of decision from twenty- four
independent tribunals, unless there exist some com-
mon land-marks to serve as guides to opinion. Even
as it is, the most anomalous discrepancies occur
between the decisions of the different State Courts^
but without a constant influx of English authori^
ties, the laws regarding property would be speedily
6

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SALARIES OF THE JUDGES. 385

overc$i8t by such a mass of contradictory precedents
as to be utterly irrevocable to any system.

The low salaries of the judges constitute matter of
general complaint among the members of the bar,
both at Philadelphia and New York. These are so
inadequate, when compared with the income of a
well-employed barrister, that the State is deprived
of the advantage of having the highest legal talent on
the bench. Men from the lower walks of the pro*
fession, therefore, are generally promoted to the
office, and for the sake of a wretched saving of a few
thousand dollars, the public are content to submit
their lives and properties to the decision of men of
inferior intelligence and learning.

In one respect, I am told the very excess of demo-
cracy defeats itself. In some States the judges are
so inordinately underpaid, that no lawyer, who does
not possess a considerable private fortune, can afford
to accept the office. From this circumstance some-
thing of aristocratic distinction has become con-
nected with it, and a seat on the bench is now more
greedily coveted than it would be, were the salary
more commensurate with the duties of the situation.

VOL. I. 2 k

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886 WANT OF UNIFORMITY

All lawyers with whom I have conversed agree,
that the discrepancy between the laws of the differ*
ent States is productive of much injury. The
statutes of one State are often defeated in the tribu-
nals of another, when not in accordance with the
tone of public opinion in the latter. A laxity thus
arises in the administration of municipal law incom*
patible with good government. The criminal codes
are likewise highly discordant, and from the variety
of jurisdictions, the probability of crime being follow-
ed by punishment is much diminished. When a man
•guilty of an offence in one State escapes into another,
he can only be apprehended on the formal demand
^of the executive authority of the Statd havingjuris-
diction of the crime. Before the necessary machinery,
however, can be set at work, he has generally time
and opportunity for a second evasion, and it thus
often happens that the ends of justice are entirely
defeated.

There can be no doubt that the want of unifor-
mity in the administration of justice, is injurious
both to public morals and private security. Butihe
evil is one naturally arising from the political sob-
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IN THE ADMINISTRATION OP LAW. 887

dirisions of the Union, and for which, with the
jealoasy which prevails of the jurisdiction of the
federal government, it is perhaps impossible to devise
a remedy. With so many co-existent and independ-
ent legislatures, uniformity of legislation is impos-
sible, and we can only hope that in the growing
political experience of American statesmen, the evil
may be diminished, though there exist no prospect
of its being entirely removed,

Philadelphia may be called the Bath of the United
States, and many individuals who have amassed for-
tunes in other parts of the Union, select it as the
place of their residence. Money-getting is not here
the furious and absorbing pursuit of al ranks an^w,^
conditions of men. On the contrary, every thing
goes on quietly. The people seem to dabble in busi-
ness, rather than follow it with that impetuous
energy observable in other cities. The truth is, that •^
& large portion of the capital of the Philadelphians
is invested in New York, where there is ample field
for its profitable employment. The extent of their
own traffic is limited, and in this respect I should
imagine it to be inferior even to Boston. But^ in

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S88 SOCIETT IN PHILADELPHIA.

point of opulence^ Philadelphia is undoubtedly fir^t
city of the Unioo, It is the great focus of American
capital) the pecuniary reservoir which fills the various
channels of profitable enterprise.
~ Hn Philadelphia it is the fashion to be scien-
tificy and the young ladies occasionally display the
bas bkuj in a degree, which in other cities would be
considered rather alarming. I remember at a din-
ger party, being instructed as to the component parts
of the atmosphere by a fair spinster, who anticipated
the approach of a period when oxygen would super-,
sede champagne, and yoang gentlemen and ladies
would hob or nob in gas. The vulgar term drunk
would then give place to inflated^ certainly more
euphonious to ears polite, and the coarser stimulants,
such as alcohol and tobacco, in all their forms and
uses, be regarded with contempt.

There is no American city in which th^ system of
exdusion is so rigidly observed as in Philadelphia.
The ascent of a parvenu into the aristocratic circle is
slow and difficult. There is a sort of holy alliance
between its members to forbid all unauthorized
approach. Claims are canvassed, and pretensioni^

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SOCIETY IN PHILADELPHIA. 389

weighed ; manners, fortune, tastes, habits, and
descent, undergo a rigid examination; and from
the temper of the judges, the chances are, that the
final oscillation of the scale, is unfavourable to the
reception of the candidate. I remember being pre-
sent at a party, of which the younger members
expressed a strong desire to enliven the dulness of
the city, by getting up a series of public balls. The
practicability of this project became matter of ge*
neral discussion, and it was at length given up,
simply because there were many families confess-
edly so respectable as to afford no tangible ground
for exclusion, and yet so unfashionable as to render
their admission a nuisance of the first magnitude.

I have already alluded to the existence of this
aristocratic feeling in New York, but it certainly is
there far less prevalent than in Philadelphia. This
may easily be accounted for. In the former city,
the vicissitudes of trade, the growth and dissipation
of opulence, are far more rapid. Rich men spring
up like mushrooms. Fortunes are made and lost by
a single speculation. A man may go to bed at night
worth less than nothing, and pull off his nightcap

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'S90 JOSEPH BONAP4RTE.

in the morning with some hundred thousand dollars
waiting his acceptance* There is comparatively no
settled and permanent body of leading capitalists,
and consequently less room for that sort of defen-
sive league which naturally takes place among men
of common interests and position in society;

In Philadelphia, on the other hand, the pursuits
of commerce are confined within narrower limits.
There is no field for speculation on a great scale,
and the regular trade of the place is engrossed by
old established houses, which enjoy a sort ofi pre-
scriptive confidence, against which younger esta-
blishments, however respectable, find it in vain to
contend. The keener, and more enterprising traders,
therefore, generally remove to New York, and Phi*
ladelphia continues comparatively untroubled by
those fluctuations of wealth, which impede any per-
manent and efiective union among its aristocracy.

In society in Philadelphia, I had the good fortune
to meet the Count de Survilliers, better known by
the untitled name of Joseph Bonaparte. This per-
sonage has purchased an estate in the neighbour-
hood, and by his simplicity and benevolence of cfaa-

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JOSEPH BONAPARTE. 891

racter, has succeeded in winning golden opinions
from all classes of Americans. He often visits
Philadelphia, and mingles a good deal in the« society
of the place. In the party where I first met him,
a considerable time elapsed before I was aware of
the presence of a person so remarkable. He was at
length pointed out to my observation, with an offer
of introduction which I thought proper to decline ;
being aware, that in a work with which he was pro-
bably unacquainted, I had spoken of him in a man-
. ner, which, whether just or otherwise, made it
indelicate that I should be obtruded on his notice.

Joseph Bonaparte, in person, is about the middle
height, but round and corpulent. In the form of
his head and features there certainly exists a resem-
blance to Napoleon, but in the expression of the
countenance there is none. I remember, at the Per-
gola theatre of Florence, discovering Louis Bona-
parte from his likeness to the Emperor, which is
very striking, but I am by no means confident that
I should have been equally successful with Joseph.
There is nothing about him indicative of high intel-
lect. His eye is dull and heavy ; his manner un-

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/

S92 > . JOSEPH BONAPARTE.

graceful and deficient in that ease and dignity which
we vulgar people are apt to number among the ne-
cessary attributes of majesty. But Joseph was not
bred to kingcraft, and seems to have been forced
into it rather as a sort of political stop gap, than from
any particular aptitude or inclination for the duties
of sovereignty. I am told he converses without any
appearance of reserve on the circumstances of his
short and troubled reign — if reign, indeed, it can be
called — in Spain. He attributes more than half his
misfortunes, to the jealousies and intrigues of the
unruly marshals, over whom he could exercise no
authority. He admits the full extent of his unpo-
pularity, but claims credit for a sincere desire to
benefit the people.

One circumstance connected with his deportment
I particularly remember. The apartment was warm,
and the ex- king evidently felt it so ; for taking out
his pockethandkerchief, he deliberately mopped his
bald ^^ discrowned head," with a hand which one
would certainly have guessed to have had more con«
nexion with a spit than a sceptre.

I remained a fortnight waiting for a change of

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JOSEPH BONAPARTE. 393

ftther, but it never came. The roads, however,
had become qaite practicable for travelling, and I at
length determined on departure. At five o'clock in
the morning I accordingly drove to Market Street,
where I took possession of a place in a sleigh shaped
like an omnibus, which contained accommodation
for about as many passengers. The snow lay deep
on the ground, and the weather was cold in the
extreme. After some delay the vehicle got into
motion, and when we reached the Schuylkill, which is
crossed by a wooden bridge of very curious mechan-
ism, I looked back on the Quaker city, yet glimmer-
ing in the distance, and bade farewell to it for ever.

END OF VOLUME ONE.

■OINBUROH : BALLANTYNB AND CO., PAOL^l WORK, CANOK<;aTB

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